Morinaga America Foods, Inc., a leading international confectionary company headquartered in Japan, will invest $136 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Mebane, North Carolina, creating 204 new jobs in Orange County. The expansion will further Morinaga’s manufacturing capacity for HI-CHEW, a long-standing best-selling candy in Asia and the United States. Morinaga America Foods, Inc. is a Morinaga & Co., Ltd subsidiary.
“We are proud that North Carolina continues to have a strong economic relationship with Japan, and that companies like Morinaga employ more than 30,500 North Carolinians every day,” said Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “Morinaga’s expansion underscores the company’s commitment to its customers and that North Carolina has the talented and skilled workforce companies like Morinaga need to grow.”
Morinaga was founded in 1899 in Tokyo and produces many kinds of candy such as milk caramel, chocolates, cookies and frozen foods. In 2013, Morinaga announced it would establish its first-ever production facility outside of Asia in Orange County, with an investment of $48 million, creating 90 jobs. The company held the location’s grand opening in 2016.
In October 2023, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Sanders, and Christopher Chung met in Japan with leaders from Japanese businesses in North Carolina, including Mr. Eijiro Ota, President of Morinaga & Co., Ltd., to discuss the continued partnership and the company’s facilities in the state. Governor Cooper and the EDPNC also met with Mr. Ota on a recent trip to the state. Since the trade mission to Japan, North Carolina has seen 4,379 new jobs announced from Japanese companies including Toyota, Fujifilm Diosynth, Dai Nippon Printing, Kyowa Kirin, and today, Morinaga.
Over the last 10 years (2014-2023), Japan has announced 9,220 jobs and $17.58 billion in investment in North Carolina, accounting for nearly half of all foreign direct investment (FDI) in North Carolina, making it the state’s largest source of FDI. Japan is one of the nation’s largest trading partners and home to 225 companies with large presences in North Carolina.
The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina would like to recognize the North Carolina Department of Commerce as well as other key partners involved in this project, including the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the Commerce Department’s Division of Workforce Solutions, Orange County Board of Commissioners and Manager’s Office, the City of Mebane and the Orange County Economic Development Office.