Instant ramen just got a serious upgrade—and it's landing on Costco shelves. On August 3, 2026, Better Than Bouillon and A-Sha Foods USA roll out Better Than Ramen™, a restaurant-quality at-home ramen kit built on real broth and clean-label noodles rather than the powdered seasoning packets that have defined the category for decades.
For an industry watching consumers trade up on pantry staples, it's a notable signal: two established flavor brands betting that shoppers will pay for authenticity in a segment long ruled by price and convenience.
What's Inside Better Than Ramen
The kit pairs A-Sha's signature air-dried Meteor noodles with Better Than Bouillon's concentrated broth starters. It's a deliberate contrast to conventional instant ramen, delivering what the partners describe as a deeper, more authentic flavor in every bite.
- The noodles: A-Sha's Air-Dried, Never Fried® Meteor noodles, made from just three ingredients—wheat, salt, and water—and packed with 12 grams of protein.
- The broth: Better Than Bouillon's rich broth starters in two flavors—Chicken, made with real chicken, and a Tonkotsu-inspired pork broth.
- The format: A 10-pack multipack featuring five chicken and five tonkotsu servings.
Better Than Ramen is the newest addition to the "Better Than" lineup, continuing the brand's push into globally inspired flavors—territory that also plays to the high-protein, better-for-you demand reshaping center-store grocery.
A First for the Bouillon Category
The collaboration marks a genuine category first, according to the companies.
"This collaboration breaks new ground as the first time a bouillon brand has launched a ramen broth base," said Tripp Bradshaw, Summit Hill VP of Sales. "Better Than Ramen came to life through the creativity and collaboration of the Costco team, combined with the product innovation that Better Than Bouillon and A-Sha are known for."
"Partnering with Better Than Bouillon allowed us to once again disrupt what ramen can be, combining best in bouillon broth base with world class noodles," said Young Chang, CEO of A-Sha Foods USA.
Where and When to Find It
Better Than Ramen launches exclusively at select Costco locations across the Southeastern United States beginning August 3. That includes all Costco warehouses in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Puerto Rico.
Why It Matters
For grocers, foodservice buyers, and product developers, this launch is a case study in premiumizing a commodity category. Instant ramen has historically competed on cents-per-serving; Better Than Ramen instead leans on real ingredients, clean labels, and a protein claim—the exact levers driving today's better-for-you grocery growth.
A few takeaways worth watching:
- Clubstore exclusivity as a launchpad. Debuting a multipack exclusively at Costco lets both brands test premium positioning with a bulk-value shopper before any broader rollout—a playbook operators and CPG teams can learn from.
- Cross-category co-branding. A bouillon brand entering ramen shows how established flavor players can extend equity into adjacent, on-trend formats without building from scratch.
- Authenticity sells. The pitch centers on real broth and short ingredient lists—reinforcing that transparency is now a competitive advantage, not a niche.
For restaurant and hospitality operators, it's also a reminder that the elevated at-home experience keeps raising the bar for what "restaurant-quality" convenience looks like on the retail shelf.
Curious how other brands are reengineering everyday products for premium demand? Read our look at Barilla's Al Bronzo line expansion and how a protein-forward gelato launch is tapping the same better-for-you wave.
Will bulk-value shoppers embrace premium instant ramen? Drop your take in the comments—and tell us which "Better Than" flavor you'd stock next.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
