Morinaga & Co. to open 2nd U.S. factory in North Carolina

Operations are anticipated to begin in 2027.

Morinaga & Co. announces second U.S. factory in North Carolina

courtesy of Morinaga & Co.

Morinaga & Co., Ltd, the holding company of Morinaga America, Inc., has announced its second North American manufacturing facility in Mebane, NC. The company will invest over $130 million to construct the new facility, which will support increased production for its HI-CHEW brand.

With this additional production pipeline, the company will be able to meet the growing demand for HI-CHEW products across all U.S. distribution channels. The new factory is slated to start construction in October 2024 and will be operational in January 2027. With the addition of this secondary factory, Morinaga America Foods, Inc. is creating over 200 career opportunities for the Orange County, NC community with various positions across production, quality assurance, maintenance and support staff.

"HI-CHEW has been steadfast in growing its market share in the U.S. non-chocolate candy category and has achieved 20% year-over-year growth since 2018," says Teruhiro Kawabe (Terry), chief representative for the USA & president, CEO of Morinaga America, Inc. "With this tremendous brand growth year over year, we are eager to maximize our production output to continue providing new, innovative HI-CHEW products to consumers and brand fans nationwide."

The existing NC factory, which began operations in 2015, manufactures the majority of HI-CHEW flavors for North American distribution, with over two billion pieces of HI-CHEW produced yearly. With the addition of the new 132,633 sq. foot factory, the company will be able to produce hundreds of tons of HI-CHEW candies every year to satisfy dedicated brand fans and consumers alike.

HI-CHEW continues to grow steadily among U.S. consumers due to its unique and wide-ranging flavor offerings, including various packaging formats and new textures, says the brand. With over 50 flavors available in the U.S., the brand is passionate about product innovation and catering new flavor profiles to the American palate.

HI-CHEW products are available at major retailers nationwide. To learn more about HI-CHEW and where to purchase HI-CHEW products, visit HI-CHEW.com.

Morinaga & Co. (HI-CHEW) is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.

Liz Parker Kuhn is the senior editor of Candy Industry and Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, and has worked at BNP Media since 2012. She has written for CBS Detroit as well as for her own blogs. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Liz can be contacted at (248) 839-7156 or at parkere@bnpmedia.com.