Morinaga Opens Second $136 Million HI-CHEW Factory in Mebane, North Carolina

Morinaga America Foods celebrated the grand opening of its second HI-CHEW manufacturing facility in Mebane, North Carolina, on April 21, with Governor Josh Stein joining the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

$136 million and 204 jobs

According to the Governor’s office, the $136 million investment is creating 204 jobs in Orange County. The new factory spans more than 132,000 square feet and doubles production capacity.

1.2 billion more chewlets a year

The facility is expected to be fully operational by October 2026, producing an additional 1.2 billion HI-CHEW chewlets annually. Morinaga opened its first U.S. factory in North Carolina in 2015, its first production facility outside of Asia.

Teruhiro Kawabe, President and CEO of Morinaga America said:

“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. 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.”