The Taiwanese brand has collaborations with Momofuku, BT21, Hello Kitty, and more.
The distinctive packet ofinstant ramen , conjures up memories of bonce with an unsettling yellow speck , lackluster latchkey kid meal , or belated - night college bacchanal . But it ’s certainly never been reckon gourmet — until peradventure now . A - Sha , the Chinese teetotal noggin make that haspartnered with Momofukuand cooperate with Sanrio for Hello Kitty - branded noodles , is assay to change that image .
The brand started in 1977 and specializes in strain dried , rather than fried , instant noodle . “ The traditional ramen that ’s in blocks is deep deep-fried whereas air dried noodles are unremarkably dried direct , like a stick , ” explain A - Sha ’s president Young Chang . “ The conception was to make air dried bean in a closure - shaped format tolooklike instant noodles , but have all the better - for - you things . ” The event is a straw flour dome that has the resilient texture of fresh noodles with the ease of preparation as crying noodles .
A - Sha , which translates to prestigious , grew in popularity in Taiwan but remained on the island without much global flourish . Chang , upon seek it with his concern partner Henry Liao , could straight off pick out the trade name ’s potential outside of its home country . “ It was 2009 when our group got involved because my business partner , who go in Taiwan , really liked this iconic Formosan brand and need to see it do better — wanted to keep promoting Taiwan ’s civilisation , ” Chang tell . All the pieces were there : The noodles were already being manufactured in a Taiwanese manufactory , usingTaiwanese ingredients . All the brace call for to do was find dispersion channel to bring it stateside and get the Bible out .
Photo courtesy of A-Sha
The first inkling that they were on to something was when A - Sha bean made it ontothe Ramen Rater , a popular web log that does exactly what its deed of conveyance suggests . This was in 2013 , and Formosan miscellanea of ramen were absent from the Ramen Rater ’s site , so Chang float noggin to author Hans Lienesch and hop for the good . The result was positive review and an maiden Formosan ramen ranking leaning , of which A - Sha contain first place . “ We started getting all this online [ fame ] and went direct to the stores and like , ‘ Look ! We ’re the number one noggin from Taiwan ! ’ ” Chang express joy .
It make for . The brand ’s giving break came from Albertsons and Safeway in 2014 , and the respite of the grocery stores follow wooing . you’re able to now bump A - Sha noodles at Costco , Target , Cost Plus , Walmart , H - mart , and more .
It was enough to make Chang throw in his job at Warner Brothers and pursue A - Sha full time , recognize there was more to be done that could grow the business . “ We knew we want to formstrategic collabs , like the Supreme or Kith fashion model , ” Chang read .
Photo courtesy of A-Sha
The opportunity arrived in 2019 in the form of an iconic and recognisable astomatous white qat that dons a signature red bow . Sanrio partnered with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and wanted a Hello Kittyinstant ramen , which has inextricable root in Nipponese culture . “ They come to us with the project and the agency we ’re set up , we ’re not too big and can be agile , ” Chang explains . “ It was huge for us . People do n’t know us , but they know Hello Kitty . ” The resulting production were four unlike ramens feature Sanrio characters Hello Kitty , Badtz Maru , Keroppi , and My Melody all take part in various Olympic sports .
The collaboration kept coming . In the midst of the pandemic , while all the restaurants were closed , Momofuku pivoted to larder goodness and formed a partnership with A - Sha , found three unlike eccentric of noodles . “ We knew David and had always mouth about working on a noodle together , but the pandemic definitely speed up their pivot to a CPG business organization , ” Chang says . The resulting noodles , which expire back and forth from ideation to formula and development in a couple of six months , was one of the dissipated raw intersection Chang had worked on .
It got to the point that Chang and Liao were able-bodied to start turning down collaboration , see to it they only worked with brands or masses that made sense to their mission . Take Miami HeatNBA playerDuncan Robinson , who pamper in A - Sha during his fourth dimension in the bubble and is a unfeigned lover of the brand , or the just recently dropped a collaboration with BT21 featuring the cute characters meant to emulate the BTS members . The brand name even hosted a daddy - up withKimika , a Nipponese - Italian restaurant in Manhattan that used A - Sha noodle as a base of operations for delightful dishes like sesame and pepe and pesto primavera .
“ It ’s important for us to be acknowledged by that luxurious side , for people to see we work with a Michelin - rated chef and a James Beard finalist , ” Chang says . So whether you ’re someone just looking for a new instantaneous ramen , or someone who obsessionally follows food medium , A - Sha can ply to both .
Although the recipe for the noodles has appease relatively the same since A - Sha ’s conception , Chang says he ’s always searching for fresh way to develop , whether that be through new sauce ideations or a variety in noodle texture through proprietary motorcar . There are architectural plan for other products too , include aboba kitthat would complete the idealistic Taiwanese meal .
