Morinaga

Corporate brand

A Japanese confectionery and food manufacturer known for products including Hi-Chew, DARS, Chocoball, In Jelly and Morinaga Milk Cocoa.

Last updated October 14, 2026

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Overview

Morinaga & Company is a Japanese confectionery and food manufacturer founded in Tokyo in 1899 by Taichiro Morinaga. The company developed from a Western-style confectionery business established after Morinaga returned from the United States and became one of Japan’s best-known packaged-food companies. It is legally known in Japanese as Morinaga Seika Kabushiki-gaisha and is distinct from the separately listed Morinaga Milk Industry, with which it has a loose corporate relationship rather than a parent-subsidiary structure. The company’s portfolio covers candy, chocolate, biscuits, snack foods, frozen desserts, beverages, nutritional products and convenience-oriented food formats. Its best-known brands include Hi-Chew chewy candy, DARS chocolate, Chocoball, Koeda, Choco Monaka Jumbo, Ice Box, Morinaga Biscuits, Morinaga Milk Cocoa, Morinaga Amazake and In Jelly. Morinaga also distributes or manufactures selected licensed brands in Japan, including Werther’s Original and PEZ. The portfolio gives the company exposure to both impulse confectionery and everyday packaged foods, while allowing it to address children, families, young adults, sports audiences and consumers seeking portable nutrition. Morinaga has played a notable role in the development of Japan’s confectionery market. It was incorporated as Morinaga & Co., Ltd. in 1912 and began producing what is described as Japan’s first domestically manufactured chocolate in 1918. During the Second World War, the company produced Japan’s first domestically made penicillin, illustrating a temporary expansion beyond its normal food business in response to wartime conditions. Its marketing has also influenced Japanese consumer customs. A 1960 campaign encouraging women to give chocolate to men helped shape the modern Japanese Valentine’s Day gifting convention; decades later, Morinaga promoted a reverse-gifting concept known as Gyaku-choco, aimed at men giving chocolate to women. Hi-Chew became a particularly important international growth product. Morinaga entered the United States market with the candy in 2008. Its visibility increased during the 2010s, partly through adoption by baseball players and a sponsorship relationship with the Boston Red Sox announced in 2012. Morinaga later established domestic Hi-Chew production in Mebane, North Carolina, beginning in 2016, strengthening its ability to serve the North American market. In 2024 it announced plans for a second Mebane factory, with production scheduled for 2027 according to the cited reference material. In 2023, the company also began bringing American-developed Hi-Chew flavors back into Japan as reverse imports. Morinaga remains headquartered in Tokyo and operates production facilities in several Japanese locations, including Yokohama, Oyama, Mishima and Anjo, as well as its North Carolina operation. Its brand strategy combines long-established Japanese names with product innovation, seasonal marketing, overseas expansion and licensed international products. The company is best understood as a broad consumer-food brand house centered on confectionery rather than as a single-product label.

History

Morinaga & Co. was established in Japan in 1899 by Taichiro Morinaga. Its early development formed part of the modernization of Japanese food manufacturing, particularly the adoption and domestic production of Western-style confectionery. The company built recognition by making sweets that could be distributed widely and consumed conveniently, with caramel becoming one of its defining categories. Morinaga Milk Caramel became a durable symbol of the company’s heritage. Its compact format and recognizable branding helped make it an everyday confection rather than an occasional luxury. The company subsequently expanded across chocolate, biscuits, cocoa and other snack categories, using the Morinaga name as an umbrella for products with different textures, flavors and consumption occasions. The postwar decades brought broader product diversification and stronger mass-market distribution. Morinaga developed multiple chocolate and biscuit lines, including Chocoball, DARS and Koeda, while also entering or expanding in frozen desserts, beverages and food products. HI-CHEW, created in 1975, became one of the company’s most significant modern brands. It offered a chewy format designed to combine some of the sensory qualities of chewing gum and candy, and later became a major vehicle for overseas growth. Morinaga’s corporate activities evolved beyond traditional confectionery. The company developed health and nutrition-related businesses, including products associated with convenient energy and wellness. This broadened its addressable market while retaining the core promise of accessible, enjoyable food. Its portfolio has therefore included both indulgent snacks and products marketed around nutrition, exercise or everyday health. Overseas development became increasingly important through subsidiaries, local partners and export activity. Morinaga America has promoted HI-CHEW in the United States through retailer relationships, advertising, social platforms and sampling. The company has also used regional campaigns in Asia, where flavors, packaging and media execution can be adapted to local markets. In 2019, Morinaga Milk Industry—not the same listed company as Morinaga & Co.—conducted a separate international bifidobacteria campaign, illustrating why the two Morinaga companies should not be conflated. In the 2020s, Morinaga & Co. continued emphasizing international growth and production capacity. Its North American strategy included expansion of HI-CHEW manufacturing in North Carolina. In March 2026, it announced an agreement to acquire My/Mochi through MyMo Holdco, with completion described as subject to customary conditions and scheduled for April 2026 in the supplied transaction materials. The proposed acquisition would add a U.S. frozen-dessert platform to Morinaga’s established confectionery presence. Today, Morinaga is best understood as a public Japanese food house rather than only a caramel maker. Its identity rests on heritage products, frequent seasonal and collaborative launches, a wide snack portfolio, health-oriented extensions and efforts to build globally recognizable brands. Its principal strategic challenge is balancing the emotional value of long-established Japanese products with the need to innovate, localize and scale in international markets.

2026
Agreement to acquire My/Mochi is announced
[3]Morinaga & Co. to Acquire My/Mochi Ice Creamprnewswire.com
Morinaga announces a planned acquisition of MyMo Holdco, the holding company associated with the My/Mochi U.S. mochi-ice-cream business, to broaden its North American snack and frozen-dessert platform.
2024
North Carolina capacity expansion is announced
[9]North Carolina capacity expansion is announcedjournalnow.com
Morinaga America Food announces an expansion of its Mebane operations, supporting additional HI-CHEW production and employment.
2019
International bifidobacteria campaign is conducted by the separate Morinaga Milk company
[8]International bifidobacteria campaign is conducted by the separate Morinaga Milk companymnf-ap.com
Morinaga Milk Industry held synchronized activities in Paris, Singapore and Japan. This milestone is retained as a clarification because the similarly named dairy company is separate from Morinaga & Co.
2015
HI-CHEW manufacturing begins at the Mebane operation
[7]HI-CHEW manufacturing begins at the Mebane operationabc11.com
The Mebane, North Carolina facility opens and produces HI-CHEW for the company’s expanding U.S. business.
1975
HI-CHEW is introduced
[2]Morinaga Asia Pacific company and HI-CHEW informationmorinaga-ap.com
Morinaga creates HI-CHEW, a soft, chewy candy that later becomes a major international product line.
1899
Morinaga & Co. is established
[1]Morinaga & Co. official websitemorinaga.co.jp
Taichiro Morinaga establishes the company in Japan, beginning the corporate history of one of the country’s best-known confectionery manufacturers.

Products and positioning

A heritage Japanese confectionery and food house combining familiar everyday treats with playful innovation, convenient nutrition and international brand development.

Caramel candy
Morinaga Milk Caramel
Morinaga’s signature caramel line and one of the clearest expressions of the company’s heritage. It is sold as a compact, individually wrapped confection associated with portability and an established Japanese visual identity. The product functions both as an everyday sweet and as a cultural reference point for the Morinaga brand.
Soft candy · 1975
HI-CHEW
A chewy candy line launched in 1975 and developed in numerous fruit and other flavors. HI-CHEW is especially important to Morinaga’s international strategy, with distribution and marketing in North America and other overseas markets. Its texture and flavor variety distinguish it from hard candy and support frequent product and seasonal extensions.
Chocolate
DARS
A Morinaga chocolate brand sold in small, portion-oriented formats. DARS is part of the company’s modern chocolate portfolio and is marketed through flavor variations, seasonal editions and promotional activity. Its compact presentation suits impulse purchase and everyday snacking.
Chocolate confectionery
Chocoball
A recognizable Morinaga chocolate confectionery line built around small, bite-sized pieces and distinctive packaging. Chocoball has contributed to the company’s family and youth-oriented brand presence and has been supported by collectible, character and seasonal product executions.
Chocolate snack
Koeda
A chocolate snack line associated with thin, branch-like pieces. Koeda extends Morinaga’s chocolate offering into a light, shareable and visually distinctive format, with variations used to maintain interest across seasons and consumer occasions.
Tablet candy
Morinaga Ramune
A tablet-candy range that has been used in youth-focused and study-related communications. Morinaga’s Ramune products are promoted as a convenient glucose-containing snack, and the brand has appeared in attention-getting advertising executions such as large-scale candy dot art.
Biscuits and cookies
Morinaga Biscuits
The company’s biscuit and cookie portfolio, covering packaged baked snacks and related variations. The range complements Morinaga’s candy and chocolate businesses by providing a different texture and consumption occasion while retaining the parent brand’s emphasis on familiar, accessible treats.

Controversies

1984
Glico-Morinaga case
Morinaga was one of the confectionery companies targeted during the Glico-Morinaga case, a major Japanese extortion and poisoning scare involving threats against food manufacturers. The incident became a high-profile criminal investigation and affected public confidence in packaged confectionery, but the cited material does not establish that Morinaga caused the attacks or identify a final perpetrator.
Source
Fraudulent investment solicitations using the Morinaga name
Morinaga has publicly warned that unauthorized parties have used its corporate name while soliciting investments purportedly related to factory construction. The warning concerns impersonation and fraud, not an established finding of misconduct by Morinaga itself.
Source

2020Ramune Dot Art
Japan
Morinaga created a large dot-art image by arranging 39,061 Ramune tablets by hand. The execution was tied to Japan’s national university entrance examination period and used hidden visual details to encourage students.
Outcome. The installation and related social content generated an experiential and visual demonstration of the product’s connection with students.
Source
2019Morinaga Milk slogan campaign featuring Snow Miku
Japan
Morinaga Milk invited consumers to submit slogans for a new product after releasing commercials featuring Snow Miku and other personalities. The participatory format aimed to turn consumer reactions into future advertising copy.
Outcome. The campaign planned to use selected fan-created slogans in subsequent commercials.
Source
2015Grape flavor
Thailand
A Dentsu-created film campaign for Morinaga promoted a grape-flavored candy in Thailand. The work used flavor appeal and audiovisual advertising to localize the brand for the Thai snack market.
Source

Brand decisions

2026
Agreement to acquire MyMo Holdco and the My/Mochi businessM&A
Background
Morinaga identified North America as a priority growth region and sought to complement the HI-CHEW business with a scaled frozen-dessert platform.
Action taken
Morinaga agreed to acquire all shares of MyMo Holdco, which indirectly owns The Mochi Ice Cream Company and the My/Mochi brand. The transaction was announced as expected to close in April 2026, subject to customary conditions.
Aftermath
If completed, the deal would make My/Mochi part of Morinaga’s group and broaden its U.S. snack portfolio into mochi ice cream.
Announced transaction consideration. Approximately US$130 million, with other transaction reporting citing approximately US$135 million including advisory fees (2026 announcement)
Source
2024
Expansion of U.S. HI-CHEW production capacityStrategy
Background
Growing overseas demand for HI-CHEW increased the need for local production capacity and supported Morinaga’s North American expansion strategy.
Action taken
Morinaga America Food announced an expansion of its Mebane, North Carolina operation, including additional investment and planned employment.
Aftermath
The expansion was expected to strengthen domestic U.S. manufacturing and support continued distribution growth for HI-CHEW.
Announced capital investment. Reported as approximately US$134 million to US$136 million (2024 announcement)
Source

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