Nissin Foods Returns to Türkiye as a Gateway to the Global South

September 1, 2025

Nissin Foods Returns to Türkiye as a Gateway to the Global South

Nissin Foods Holdings will re-enter Türkiye, a market it withdrew from in 2018. The company will outsource the production of instant noodles to local firms and begin full-scale sales as early as 2025. In the medium term, Nissin is also considering building its own factory, with the goal of turning Türkiye into a strategic hub for reaching emerging and developing markets in the Global South, including Central Asia and Africa.

Targeting a Rapidly Growing Turkish Market

Trial sales of bagged Yakisoba noodles have already started at select supermarkets in Istanbul, with expansion planned for 2025. This style of instant noodle—absorbing a small amount of water in a frying pan—is familiar to Turkish consumers.

Currently, the market is dominated by low-priced "mie goreng" noodles from Indonesia’s Indofood. Nissin aims to compete by pricing its products at under 100 yen per bag (converted) while highlighting their “Made in Japan” quality through packaging. The initial goal is to sell 10 million servings annually, on par with sales before its 2018 withdrawal. Once stabilized, the company will assess cost-effectiveness and may invest over 10 billion yen in a new factory, no earlier than 2026, to eventually reach more than 100 million servings annually.

Türkiye as a Launchpad for Global Expansion

Nissin Foods first entered Türkiye in 2012 through a joint venture with local food giant Yildiz HD, but withdrew in 2018 due to currency turmoil. Since then, the Turkish instant noodle market has expanded dramatically—from 100 million servings in 2019 to over 400 million by 2023—driven by inflation and lifestyle changes such as more dual-income households.

With a population of 85 million and proximity to largely untapped markets in Central Asia and Africa, Türkiye offers Nissin both a sizeable domestic opportunity and a strategic export base. The company sees this re-entry not only as a second chance in Türkiye but also as a springboard to expand across the Global South.