Morinaga, the Japanese manufacturer of HI-CHEW candy, is planning to build a $136 million expansion of its existing facility at 4391 Wilson Road in Mebane, which fronts I-85/40, company officials announced at a press conference Tuesday morning.
The expansion is estimated to lead to the creation of an additional 204 jobs, at an average salary of $48,912 annually or average hourly pay of $23.52, by 2030, company officials said Tuesday morning at a press conference in Hillsborough with state and local officials.
The new jobs associated with Morinaga’s forthcoming expansion will be full-time and offer healthcare and other benefits, officials said at the press conference.
Morinaga’s planned expansion will double its footprint in Mebane – from the original 100,000-square foot manufacturing plan, to 200,000 square feet by 2027 – at its existing 21-acre property along Wilson Road.
“Morinaga has had a ‘Positively Charming’ economic and community impact on our city since opening its doors in 2015,” Mebane mayor Ed Hooks said Tuesday, alluding to the city’s “Positively Charming” slogan. “The former is seen within our tax base and has a multiplier effect on other private-sector businesses. The latter community impact is something we in Mebane and Orange County are fortunate to see on a daily basis through their civic involvement.”
Morinaga’s existing manufacturing facility is located inside Mebane’s city limits, just over the Alamance County line in western Orange County.
Mebane city officials said Tuesday that, with an estimated $31.6 property tax valuation in 2023, Morinaga is on track to become one of the top manufacturing taxpayers in Orange County.
“Our region continues to shatter records in attracting and expanding businesses,” state senator Amy Galey told The Alamance News Wednesday. “I am sure that many of the 204 new employees will live in Alamance County, and the expansion of job growth continues to be something that benefits our community.”
State Rep. Steve Ross, an Alamance County Republican who serves Mebane’s west side, didn’t hesitate to chalk up some of Morinaga’s success to the influence of his voting bloc in the General Assembly.
“We’re growing; everybody knows that,” Ross said during a conversation in Burlington Tuesday. “Industries are coming in. Expansions are going on. And I credit all of that to the decisions which the Republicans have made over the past several years – lowering taxes and [regulatory] reform.”
Morinaga initially invested $48 million to build its existing manufacturing facility in Mebane, where it currently employs more than 200 people, according to Mebane city officials.
Morinaga America Foods will receive a state performance-based grant of $100,000 to help fund the expansion, contingent on a matching investment of $115.4 million by the company, as well as local government support, Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday.
Recipients of those grants through the One North Carolina Fund receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets in order to receive any grant payments, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, which administers the grants.
In addition to its fruity HI-CHEW candy, Morinaga manufactures over 40 products line and ranks similar to the Kellogg Company in retail sales.
