Calbee America is looking to strengthen its domestic innovation capabilities by introducing a new R&D Innovation Center in Madera, CA, located at 20237 Masa Street. Planned to help the company grow in double digits annually by accelerating innovation and product development, the facility will support the team in bringing Asian-flavored offerings to the mainstream marketplace and expanding Harvest Snaps’ presence as a better-for-you brand in the salty snack category.

The company held a grand opening on January 24^, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, coffee truck, booths to share Calbee’s history, and a build-your-own snack station. 

Calbee is Japan’s largest snack company, with its U.S. division driving revenue growth. The Harvest Snaps brand (typically found in retailers’ produce departments) recently expanded its plant-based lineup to include 100% whole fruit snacks for kids, plus Crunchy Puffs made with navy beans as the first ingredient. In addition, Calbee’s Asian-inspired snack brands (including its Shrimp Chips) reportedly are a leader in the Asian salty snack aisle at mainstream retail channels, outperforming other players in the category regarding annual growth. In addition, newly launched Asian Style Chips are planned to drive category expansion. 

Leveraging the latest food industry technology from Japan, the R&D Innovation Center is designed to accelerate innovation and spearhead the development of more Asian-flavored snacks appealing to the American palate, along with better-for-you snacks under the Harvest Snaps banner. Complete with an advanced kitchen and offices accommodating up to 15 researchers, the facility will create products ranging from tortilla and potato chips to popcorn, cereal, and crackers that can be certified organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, and kosher. 

Takuro Kris Tatsumi, director of R&D at Calbee America, states, “We are so proud of the great-tasting, high-quality products that our team has brought to the North American marketplace to date and look forward to expanding our ability to innovate with a new hub here in the United States. We will explore different ingredient bases and flavors, along with improvements in texture and new snack shapes.”

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