The 132k+ square-foot new factory doubles production capacity and reinforces the company’s commitment to flavor innovation
IRVINE, Calif., April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Morinaga & Co., Ltd, the holding company of Morinaga America, Inc., proudly celebrated the completion of its second manufacturing facility for HI-CHEW®, the immensely fruity, intensely chewy candy brand. The new state-of-the-art facility expands production capacity to meet surging demand while reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to innovation, growth, and community partnership.
The celebration brought together Morinaga leadership, local and state officials, and community partners for a ceremonial ribbon cutting on April 21, 2026. Emily Smith, American QA Manager, welcomed attendees and recognized the ongoing support of the Mebane community. The official ribbon cutting was conducted by Shinya Mori, President COO of Morinaga & Co., Ltd.; Teruhiro Kawabe (Terry), Chief Representative for the USA & President, CEO of Morinaga America, Inc.; Teruo Fukushima, President & CEO of Morinaga America Foods Inc.; Jean Hamilton from the Orange County Board of Commissioners; Kenichi Matsuda, Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta; Ed Hooks, Mayor of Mebane; and North Carolina Governor Josh Stein.
“The opening of this new facility marks an exciting new chapter for our company, especially as HI-CHEW® brand fans continue to grow across the United States,” added Teruhiro Kawabe (Terry), Chief Representative for the USA & President, CEO of Morinaga America, Inc. “This expansion will allow HI-CHEW® to scale its operations while creating a bigger opportunity for our Research & Development team to experiment with new crave-worthy flavors. We’re proud to continue investing in the Mebane community and work together to create a future filled with more fun, flavorful HI-CHEW® moments.”
Spanning more than 132,000 square feet, the new factory represents an investment of more than $130 million and is expected to create approximately 200 new career opportunities for the Orange County, North Carolina area. The second factory will help keep up with the increased demand for HI-CHEW® and growing retail partners. The new facility is expected to be fully operational by October 2026, producing an additional 1.2 billion HI-CHEW® chewlets annually across the brand’s portfolio of peg bags and stand up pouches.
In 2015, Morinaga America, Inc. opened its first United States manufacturing facility in North Carolina, which marked the first production facility outside of Asia. The factory enabled the brand to produce millions of chewlets per day, supply the majority of HI-CHEW® products for the North American market, and support approximately 20% annual consumer growth.
HI-CHEW® products are available at retailers nationwide and are made with concentrated fruit juices, natural and artificial flavors, and contains no colors from synthetic sources. HI-CHEW® is also gluten-free. To learn more about HI-CHEW®, visit HI-CHEW.com , like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram (@HICHEWUSA) and TikTok (@HICHEWUSA).
About Morinaga America, Inc.:
Established in 2008, Morinaga America, Inc. is the official distributor of HI-CHEW®, HI-SOFT™, Chargel™, and My/Mochi in the United States. Morinaga America, Inc. (marketing and sales) and Morinaga America Foods, Inc. (manufacturing) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Morinaga & Co., Ltd., which began in 1899 as the first modern candy maker and producer of chocolates in Japan. In 2015, Morinaga America, Inc. opened its first United States manufacturing facility in North Carolina. With over 500 flavors of HI-CHEW® debuted in Japan, Morinaga America, Inc. has introduced the United States market to the best of Japanese confectionery.
About HI-CHEW®:
Choose Different. Choose Fun. Chew HI-CHEW®. The history of Morinaga stretches back over a century when company founder Taichiro Morinaga brought his candy-making skills to Japan from America in the 1800s. HI-CHEW® has long been the best-selling soft candy in Japan and continues to see year-over-year growth throughout the rest of Asia and in the United States. In the United States, HI-CHEW® is currently offered in sticks, peg bags and stand-up pouches. The HI-CHEW® sticks come in a variety of flavors including Strawberry, Green Apple, Mango, Grape, Banana, Sweet & Sour Watermelon, and new Blue Raspberry. HI-CHEW® also offers peg bags in the following flavors: Original Mix, Tropical Mix, Superfruit Mix, Sweet & Sour Mix, Soda Pop Mix, Berry Mix, Plus Fruit, Fantasy Mix, Reduced Sugar, Dessert Mix, and new Getaway Mix. The Stand-Up Pouches are available in Original Mix, Tropical Mix, Sweet and Sour Mix, Fruit Combos, Infrusions Orchard Mix, Dessert Mix, and new Getaway Mix. HI-CHEW® Bites are unwrapped in bite-size packaging in Mango, Green Apple, and Strawberry flavors. HI-CHEW® Gummies and HI-CHEW® Gummies Sour reimagine the brand’s iconic chewlets in a new gummy form. HI-CHEW® is made with concentrated fruit juices and is free of gluten, with no colors from synthetic sources. HI-CHEW® continues to expand fruity, chewy flavor offerings annually. In 2020, HI-CHEW® won a Nielsen Design Impact Award for its new Original Mix packaging update that hit shelves in 2019. For more information, visit HI-CHEW.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/morinaga–co-ltd-celebrates-grand-opening-of-second-hi-chew-manufacturing-facility-302748979.html
SOURCE Morinaga America, Inc.
