A hard life
Bai Fu Ando, also known as Wu Baifu, was born in Chiayi, Taiwan Province in 19 10. His parents died when he was a child, and he ran a fiber wholesale shop left by his grandparents in Tainan. 1932, at the age of 22, he used his father's legacy as capital to run Toyo Big and Small Fiber Co., Ltd., and his talent for doing business seemed to be innate, so he established the Nito Chamber of Commerce in 1933.
Unfortunately, when World War II broke out, the air raid blew up Ando's office and factory, and his hard work was destroyed. It never rains but it pours. His business rivals framed him and forced him to go to prison for the first time. During the year spent in prison, he was not only physically and mentally damaged, but also ruined his once thriving career.
When he got out of prison, World War II was drawing to a close. With nothing, he didn't lose his fighting spirit, but chose a new venture. Facing the people's livelihood in Japan at that time, he set up a scholarship fund out of kindness. Scholarship was considered as a means of tax evasion, so he went to prison again and all his property was confiscated. When he was released from prison for the second time, all the property of Ando was an empty house.
Before and after World War II, Japan faced a serious food shortage, and people were so hungry that they even ate potatoes and seedlings. This experience made Ando believe that "having enough makes the world peaceful", which led to the idea of investing in the food industry. 1948, he established CCCC (Nissin Food), and Ando was officially naturalized, changing from Wu Baifu to Ando Baifu and becoming a full Japanese national. However, perhaps the road to success should have been full of bumps and thorns. An accident at 1957 made him lose all his scarce property and made his poor life worse. Therefore, he had to start from scratch.
Inspired by hunger
The road to success is full of thorns and bumps, and the light at the end of the road always needs to be pursued through darkness. Twice in prison, three times bankrupt, Ando was unwilling to sink, started a business again, and set sail again in the middle of his life.
The concept of "having enough to make the world flat" has always been rooted in Ando's heart. When he started his business for the third time, he began to study nutritious food and made a nutritional supplement with chicken soup as raw material, which can be easily brewed, laying the foundation for the development of instant noodle seasoning in the future. After three failures, Ando began his fourth attempt. He remembered the scene he saw in the street, where people were eagerly waiting for Lamian Noodles to cook in the cold wind. This hunger inspired him-if there is a kind of noodles that can be eaten with boiling water, everyone will like it.
1958 In the spring, Ando built a simple hut in his backyard, where the world's first packet of instant noodles was born. He collected old noodle makers from all over the world and spent a lot of money on raw materials for experiments. Since then, he plunged into the experiment without sleeping or eating, and began various experiments before the advent of instant noodles.
However, he is a businessman, not a pastry chef, and he knows nothing about making noodles. Because the ingredients of noodles are very fine and have great knowledge, it is common for him to fail. It is precisely because of these countless failures that Ando finally realized a truth: a delicious food must achieve some subtle harmony.
By chance, Mrs Ando's cooking inspired him. He used the "instant hot oil drying method" to fry noodles in an oil pan with an iron frame, so that they presented a regular and easy-to-wrap shape. It is because of this bread that "one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century" was born. He is 48 years old.
Inventions enter thousands of households.
During the period of 1958, the development of instant noodles basically met the requirements of entering the market. Ando mobilized the whole family to try this new product, and the result was well received, which gave Ando enough confidence to market instant noodles. He firmly believes that it will become a new product that everyone likes.
Sure enough, instant noodles quickly opened the market and changed the life of Japanese people at that time to some extent. Five years later, Nissin Company, which was originally a small workshop, was officially listed in Japanese securities institutions.
But there are also many problems. Due to the good sales of instant noodles and considerable income, a large number of imitators have appeared in the market. Therefore, he began to apply for patents and trademarks to ensure the credit of the club. Nissin Food officially registered its trademark on 196 1 and obtained the patent for instant noodles.
Because a large number of subsidiaries under the club received warnings called "monopoly", Ando stopped the market situation monopolized by Nissin Yishe on 1964. He took the lead in establishing the Japan Noodle Industry Association and transferred and publicized the practical patent right. As a result, instant noodles came to the table of more people. In addition to promoting the instant noodle industry, Ando has also made outstanding contributions to the formulation of the Food Hygiene Law. He advocated that instant noodles should be marked with the production date to ensure the high quality of products and people's health. Until then, no food will be dated.
Push instant noodles to the world.
Despite Tadao Ando's success in Japan, it is not enough for him. Promoting instant noodles to the whole world is his next plan. In the 1970s, Ando decided to break through from the United States, officially entered the United States with instant noodles, and opened a Japanese factory in the United States.
The opening of European and American markets originated from the birth of cup noodles. The problem of how to keep instant noodles in the cup for a long time has been puzzling Ando, but fortunately, Ando, who is observant, quickly solved this problem. His inspiration came from an aluminum cover cup used by a flight attendant accidentally discovered on the plane, and his change helped him quickly open up the European and American markets. As a souvenir, the container that came down from that plane is still preserved.
Ando announced his retirement at the age of 95, leaving the company he founded and worked for 57 years. He is a well-deserved "father of instant noodles". At the age of 97, Mr Ando left us forever because of a heart attack. Mr. Ando has left us forever, but the contribution of his invention to mankind will remain in the world forever. Throughout his life, he walked through a bumpy road and made great achievements, breaking out of his own sky in the stormy waves. His body shines with the brilliance of human nature all the time, and Mr. Ando's indomitable entrepreneurial spirit always inspires us.