Crafty Ramen, a Canadian restaurant brand that moved its ramen into the grocery freezer aisle, is now available nationally at Target and Kroger. The launch puts the brand in nearly 6,400 North American retail doors, including about 4,100 in the U.S., joining existing placements at Sprouts Farmers Market, Schnucks, Meijer, Albertsons and Kings/Balducci’s.
Crafty Ramen was founded in Guelph, Ontario, in 2017 by husband-and-wife chefs Jared and Miki Ferrall after training at the Yamato School of Ramen in Japan. What began as a 24-seat neighborhood ramen restaurant has grown into a fresh-frozen brand that has sold more than 2 million bowls, with noodles produced in-house daily on Japanese noodle machines at the company’s own Ontario facilities.
“Throughout our travels in Japan, we learned to make ramen the right way and we’ve never been willing to cut corners on that, whether in the restaurant or in the freezer aisle,” the Ferralls said. “We want to show noodle lovers what frozen ramen can really be: real bone broth, scratch-made noodles and toppings done right, all ready in minutes.”
The product is a frozen layered “puck” combining bone broth, scratch-made noodles, protein, vegetables and toppings in one complete meal, prepared in minutes on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl. The company positions it as a restaurant-inspired alternative to traditional instant ramen.
“Crafty Ramen has experienced rapid retail growth, expanding from approximately 150 doors to 6,400 in just four years,” said Khalil Khamis, CEO of Crafty Ramen. “To date, we have sold more than 2 million bowls, while scaling production capacity from 2,500 to 55,000-plus bowls per week to support continued growth.”
Varieties
The line is available in five varieties at a suggested retail price of $7.99, inspired by dishes served at Crafty Ramen restaurants:
- Spicy Chicken Tantanmen, the No. 1 seller, with sesame chicken broth, Szechuan-braised ground chicken, corn and green onions;
- Brisket Birria, with birria broth, brisket, black beans, white onion, cheese and tomatillo salsa;
- Chicken Shoyu, with shoyu broth, ginger-ground chicken, corn, kikurage (wood ear mushrooms) and pickled ginger;
- Spicy Pork Miso, with spicy miso chicken broth, pork chashu, corn, green onions and chili crunch; and
- Shiitake Pork Shoyu, with shoyu broth, pork chashu, shiitake mushrooms and green onions.
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