[Food] Why Major Brand Nongshim Chose Funding as a Testing Ground for New Products

For a brand venturing into a market that has never existed before—someone’s “first”—this can be a daunting and overwhelming concept. After all, it means taking the first step on a long journey to go from 0 to 1 and create something out of nothing. However, here is a maker who turned anxiety into confidence by developing products through hypothesis testing and introduced a market for dried ingredients that had never existed before.Discover the story of Nongshim, a major brand and maker, and their ultra-convenient, futuristic ingredients dedicated to everyone who findscooking a hassle.

Introducing the world’s first ultra-convenient food ingredients,
Introducing Simplate

(From left: Manager Cheon Jae-ha (Team Leader), Assistant Manager Ahn Se-woong, Manager Jo Eun-seon)

Hello. I’m Cheon Jae-ha, the leader of the Nongshim Simplate team. First, our team planned and developed a new product called “Simplate” so that more people can enjoy cooking in a simple and fun way. “Simplate” stands for a simple (simple) meal (plate), and it’s a brand that embodies Nongshim’s commitment to fostering a more convenient and enjoyable cooking culture.We first introduced the product through a wadiz funding campaign last year,recently completed its official launch, and are now focused on raising Simplate’s profile even further.

▶ Curious about Nongshim Maker’s funding campaign?

In terms of category, Simplate falls under “convenient dried ingredients.” It all started with ramen—one of Nongshim’s flagship products and a representative dried food item. One day, while looking closely at instant noodles, I realized they’re a product you can take out and eat anytime, even after sitting at room temperature for several months. I wondered if we could apply this convenience to other ingredients—and if we did, it would solve the hassle of grocery shopping, prep work, and waste disposal all at once.

With that idea in mind, we began development for people who want to cook but hesitate because of the steps mentioned above . Since they’re dried foods , they can be used freely whenever and wherever you want to cook—whether at home, while camping, or on a trip. Simplate, born from this concept, revives the original flavor and texture of the ingredients when soaked in water for about 10 minutes, making it perfect for a variety of dishes. To borrow the words of our supporters, I think we could evencall it a “futuristic ingredient.” (Laughs)

When Nongshim launched its funding campaign, 
and everyone was curious about the reason

We wanted to introduce our new product, “Simplate,” first to the MZ generation and early adopters—rather than existing Nongshim customers—to test the product. Simplateis a product unlike anything Nongshim has ever launched before. There wasn’t even a market for convenient ingredients at the time. We decided to take on this funding challenge so that new audiences could experience a product that had never existed before and so we could gauge their reactions. 

After all, wadiz alreadyserves as a testing ground forvarious brands. It’s a platform that allows us to showcase our product to 5 million members and is well-equipped with features for engaging with them. Given that, we felt that launching Simplate through funding would yield meaningful results, which is why we chose to debut the product on wadiz.

A product the market needs—
was built on thorough preliminary research

Although we came up with the idea ourselves, we believe that creating a product the market actually needs is ultimately the most important thing. So, we continuously conducted online and offline interviews with our main target audience (people in their 20s and 30s, single-person households, and young professionals just starting their careers) and our secondary target audience (housewives and camping enthusiasts). We conducted consumer research by formulating hypotheses—such as “People probably face these kinds of problems when cooking”—and then testing those hypotheses. 

Most of the results matched our expectations. In fact, many people expressed significant inconvenience regarding food preparation and storage. Even so, they still wanted to keep cooking. Through the interviews, we found that they viewed relying on delivery for every meal while at home as something that diminished their self-worth. Even simple dishes like fried eggs or meal kits are considered “cooking” by the MZ generation, so they find meaning in preparing their own meals—even in small ways . While the concept of cooking has broadened, the additional tasks required for cooking remained a source of inconvenience. Ithink weidentified those pain points quite well.

We set a wadiz record for “funding in the hundreds of millions”
We proved our hypothesis

We ran two funding campaigns for Simplate. For the first one, we aimed to produce about 1,000 boxes. But it sold out in just 20 minutes. We were truly surprised, and with a sense of gratitude, when we launched the second funding campaign, we accepted all orders placed during the funding period rather than limiting sales.Over 2,000 supporters participated in the funding campaign, and we raised over 100 million won.

Our main goal through the funding campaign was to verify whether this product could create a new market and whether it would resonate with our supporters. If the market response was positive, we were even considering a full-scale launch. As a result, the post-campaign feedback showed that many people agreed on the product’s necessity and accurately validated the hypotheses we had set, allowing us to achieve meaningful results. Through the high satisfaction levels of our supporters and the reviews and comments within the Community, we were able to prove our hypothesis with tangible results.

Ultimately, Simplate was officially launched last November. The wadiz funding campaign played a decisive role in this. Since many people had already experienced the product through the funding campaign, brand awareness naturally increased. We even received inquiries from other retailers about carrying our product, so it seems word of mouth has spread in many ways—which we consider a major success from our perspective.

A first step toward a better world
A First Step Toward a Better World

In cases like Simplate, where the market itself doesn’t yet exist, everything is new and can feel unfamiliar and daunting. But on the other hand, if it succeeds, it becomes a “blue ocean.”Thinking this wayallows you to view everything through the lens of opportunity. It also gives you the confidence that you can create a new market yourself. A similar example is instant ramen—it was the first product to emerge in a market that didn’t exist before. The same goes for meal kits these days. Just as these products have created a market and are loved by many people, I believe we can build a better world through challenges that have never existed before. 

Of course, you can’t just blindly push a new product without a plan, right? (laughs) If there are aspiring makers out there who, like us, want to test a new product through funding, I’d advise them to decide on their product and the right message for it in advance before taking the plunge. One of wadiz’s strengths is that makers can freely craft their own stories. That’s why, instead of just boasting about “why our product is great,” you can frame your message in a way that resonates with supporters—for example, by asking, “Don’t you need something like this?” 

Additionally, since funding is built on trust, I’d advise you to carefully assess your ability to actually produce the new product and the production schedule leading up to when supporters receive the physical items before launching your campaign. If you have these aspects well in place, you’ll be able to create a reliable, successful project that builds both communication and trust with your supporters.

Written by Han Ji-hye

▶ This content was first featured on the wadiz blog. If you’re curious about more stories on the blog, click!