Morinaga America Completes Second Hi-Chew Plant in Mebane, North Carolina

Morinaga & Co. Ltd., the holding company of Morinaga America Inc., has completed its second manufacturing facility for Hi-Chew candy products in Mebane, N.C., according to an announcement from the company. The new facility was announced in July 2024 and spans more than 132,000 sq. ft., expanding production capacity to meet growth in demand.

Morinaga invested more than $130 million on the facility, and appears to have finished it ahead of schedule, as initial reports targeted January 2027 for operations to begin — the current announcement noted that by October 2026, this facility would be fully operational. The new factory is expected to create some 200 new jobs in the region and produce an additional 1.2 billion Hi-Chew chewlets annually.

Morinaga America Inc. opened the first processing facility in Mebane in 2015, which was its first plant outside of Asia. That facility produced millions of chewlets per day and supplied the majority of Hi-Chew products for the North American market, even with approximately 20% annual consumer growth, the company said. Morinaga hosted a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on April 21, 2026, for the new facility, bringing together Morinaga leadership and various local, state and community officials and representatives.