Japanese candy factory comes to Orange County

UNC students might be munching on Japanese candies fresh from Orange County while a Japanese business executive dons a North Carolina football jersey in Asia.

After months of shopping for an American location, Morinaga America, a leading Japanese confectionery company, selected Orange County for its first U.S. factory.

Leaders of the company spent a lot of time visiting Orange County with Steve Brantley, the county’s economic development director. Brantley took them T-shirt shopping on Franklin Street, where one Morinaga executive bought a Bryn Renner football jersey, which he was excited to sport back home in Japan.

“Morinaga is like the Nestle or Hershey’s of Japan,” Brantley said. He said Hi-Chew — the candy produced by Morinaga — is a fruity, chewy candy similar to Starburst.

Construction on the factory will begin in early 2014, with a planned opening date in 2015. Hi-Chew is currently produced in Taiwan, according to a company statement.

The factory will be located off of Interstate 40, near the Tanger Outlets shopping center in Mebane, and its logo will be visible from the highway.

Brantley said Morinaga will bring between 90 to 120 jobs to the county.

The company’s arrival will also diversify the tax base and alleviate property tax increases on already strained residents. Homeowners pay for 87 percent of property taxes in Orange County, Brantley said.

“The $48 million capital investment will rank the company as Orange County’s fourth- or fifth-largest taxpayer,” he said.

County Commissioner Renee Price said she is excited for this opportunity.

“This is a Japanese company so it’s a good opportunity culturally,” Price said. “It’s going to do a lot to expand diversity and culture in Orange County and I’m looking forward to it.”

Some of the Japanese executives relocating to the area were excited to see the diversity in Orange County’s schools, where 20 percent of students are Asian — the schools’ largest minority, Brantley said.

Morinaga’s executives sampled spirits at Top of the Hill, admired Michael Jordan’s legacy at the Carolina Basketball Museum, dined at the Carolina Inn and even visited the Duke University Chapel.

“We made a point to tell them that UNC has at least one more basketball championship than Duke,” Brantley said.

Morinaga’s 20-acre factory will be the company’s first on U.S. soil.

“North Carolina is well-known as a state which provides a remarkable business environment,” said Masao Hoshino, CEO of Morinaga America, in a statement.

The president and chairman of the company also met Gov. Pat McCrory and Secretary of Commerce Sharon Decker, who lobbied for the state, Brantley said.

The factory’s payroll will total more than $3.4 million plus benefits, according to a statement from McCrory’s office.

“We feel honored to be a member of the community and are determined to do our very best to contribute to the state as well as to make our business in the U.S. a success,” Hoshino said.

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