KUALA LUMPUR - The founder of the company behind Mamee Monster, one of the most iconic snacks in the region, has died at the age of 96.

Malaysia’s Sin Chew Daily reported that Datuk Pang Chin Hin died at about 6am last Saturday. He is survived by three sons and three daughters.

Mr Pang started out as a used car dealer before deciding to open a small factory in Melaka to produce instant noodles in 1971.

A year later, the company launched its first product known as Lucky Instant Noodle, which did not succeed commercially.

In 1974, his son Pang Tee Chew saw rubber tappers eating uncooked instant noodles straight from the package.

This gave Mr Pang the idea to make instant noodles that had additional flavouring.

The snack, later known as Mamee Monster, proved to be the key to unlocking the company’s success.

The company was later rebranded as Mamee-Double Decker in 1992 and now produces more than 50 types of popular snacks. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK