Officials from Morinaga America Foods, Inc., today announced a significant expansion of its site in Orange County that will double current manufacturing production capacity for “HI-CHEW” candy and create more than 200 well-paying jobs.
The company announced $136 million in new capital investment for the creation of an additional 100,000 square feet of production space at its facility along Wilson Road in Mebane. Construction is expected to be finished by 2027.
When complete, the project will create 204 additional new jobs between 2026 and 2030 with an average annual wage of $48,912 (or approximately $23.452 per hour). These jobs are full-time and include healthcare and related employment benefits.
"I would like to express my gratitude to the government officials who supported the investment,” said Masaki Matsumoto, Morinaga Senior Executive Officer & General Manager, Overseas Business. “We aim to become a company that continues to grow here in North Carolina.”
"Orange County is excited for this additional investment by Morinaga,” said Orange County Chair Jamezetta Bedford. “They took a chance on Orange County and North Carolina many years ago, helping to diversify our tax base and bring strong top-quality jobs to our residents. We value their initiative and look forward to many more decades of partnership. And their candy is really delicious, too. Local supermarkets have it. My husband and I like to share the smaller bag.”
Morinaga America Foods agreed in 2013 to locate in Orange County and built a 100,000 square foot manufacturing plant. The company employs approximately 204 associates and has a current county property tax valuation of $31.6 million.
Morinaga & Co., Ltd., was founded in 1899 in Tokyo, Japan, and is a major international confectionary and candy maker. The firm is Asia’s equivalent to a Hershey’s, Mars or Nestle. Morinaga is aggressively marketing HI-CHEW across the United States and has successful store displays at Target, Costco, 7-Eleven and major grocery store chains.
Orange County Economic Development Director Steve Brantley said the company considered locations in Taiwan and China, where the company has existing HI-CHEW factories, and had also researched building a new facility in Vietnam, before choosing to expand in Orange County.
The Board of Commissioners will consider a county incentive when the Board reconvenes in the Fall.
Cutline for photograph: Masaki Matsumoto, Morinaga Senior Executive Officer & General Manager, Overseas Business receives a gift from Machelle Baker Sanders, Secretary of the North Carolina Dept. of Commerce.