In just four months since its launch, “Kumdori Ramen,” a product that utilizes Daejeon’s regional mascot for local branding, has surpassed a cumulative sales volume of one million units. Daejeon city announced on the 20th that the ramen, their first locally branded product launched in June, achieved this sales milestone.
Despite being limited to the Daejeon area and primarily sold offline, “Kumdori Ramen” quickly achieved significant success, demonstrating the competitiveness of a Daejeon-style local branding model that combines local character (IP) with daily food culture.
The popularity of the ramen is largely attributed to its exclusivity to Daejeon, which created a sense of rarity and provoked consumer desires to own or gift the product. Additionally, it leveraged the nostalgia of the 1993 Daejeon Expo and the city’s identity as a hub of science to form a strong emotional connection between the “Kumdori Family” concept and consumers.
Complemented by events like the midnight festival, photo spots at Daejeon Station, and city tours designed to expand shared experiences, the strategy created a virtuous cycle of affection translating into revisits and repeat purchases, resulting in the cumulative sales of one million units.
In celebration of this milestone, distribution and sales company IC Food plans to host a “Kumdori Ramen One Million Sales Appreciation Event” at the Expo Citizens Square in November. The event will feature interactive games such as cup ramen accuracy games and bowling games with prizes like Kumdori Ramen and merchandise. The detailed schedule will be announced later.
Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo acknowledged the achievement, attributing the milestone to the support of citizens and tourists, and expressed plans to systematically expand Daejeon’s local competitiveness to enhance the city brand’s value and consumer cycles.
Currently, “Kumdori Ramen” is available at main sales points like Daejeon Station’s “Kumdori and Daejeon Travel” on the third floor, Kumdori House, Travel Lounge, Shinsegae, Lotte, and Galleria department stores, GS25, and Nonghyup Hanaro Mart. The city intends to strategically expand sales points at tourist hubs to promptly meet immediate consumption and souvenir purchase demands.