Morinaga & Company, Ltd. (森永製菓株式会社, Morinaga Seika Kabushiki-gaisha) is a global confectionery company in Tokyo, Japan, in operation since 1899.[5] Their products include candy and other confectioneries.[4]
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Native name | 森永製菓株式会社 |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public (K.K) |
| TYO: 2201 | |
| ISIN | JP3926400007 |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | August 15, 1899 as Morinaga’s Western Confectionary Shop |
| Founder | Taichiro Morinaga |
| Headquarters | Shiba, Minato, Tokyo, 108-8403 , Japan |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Eijiro Ota[1] (President) |
| Products | |
| Revenue |  JPY 205 billion (FY 2017)
(US$ 1.9 billion) (FY 2017) |
 JPY 10.2 billion (FY 2017)
(US$ 97 million) (FY 2017) | |
Number of employees | 3,170 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2018) |
| Subsidiaries | Morinaga Milk Industry (10.34%) |
| Website | Official website |
| Footnotes / references [2][3][4] | |
Morinaga is loosely affiliated with Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., a public company in which Morinaga & Company holds 10.34% of the stock.
Brands
editMajor Morinaga brands include:[6][7]
- Hi-Chew
- In Jelly / Chargel
- Choco Monaka Jumbo
- Ice Box
- DARS
- Morinaga Biscuits
- Morinaga Milk Cocoa
- Morinaga Amazake
- Morinaga Chocoball
- Packncho (license manufacturer)
- Werther's Original (Japan distributor)
- Pez (Japan distributor)
History
editThe company was founded in 1899 by Taichiro Morinaga, who opened a Western confectionery shop in Tokyo after returning from the United States. It was incorporated as Morinaga & Co., Ltd. in 1912.[8]
In 1944, during World War II, Morinaga created Japan's first domestically produced penicillin.[9]
In 1960, the company advertised that women should give chocolates to men on Valentine's Day. This action strongly influenced the present culture of Valentine's Day in Japan.[9] Moreover, in 2009, the company made chocolates for men to give women, which are called Gyaku-choco. (Gyaku means reverse in Japanese.)
Morinaga began selling its popular Hi-Chew candy in the US market in 2008. The candy quickly became popular among baseball players, a fad started by Japanese baseball player Junichi Tazawa of the Boston Red Sox. Morinaga signed a sponsorship deal with the Red Sox in 2012 and Hi-Chew's popularity spread quickly in the 2010s. Morinaga began reverse imports of American Hi-Chew flavors to Japan in 2023.[10][11]
Morinaga has had Ayumi Hamasaki and Mao Asada appear in their commercials, and in the past has used stars such as the Carpenters to advertise their products.
Locations
editMorinaga is headquartered in the Shiba district of Minato, Tokyo, adjacent to Tamachi Station, and has production facilities in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Oyama, Tochigi, Mishima, Shizuoka, and Anjo, Aichi.[12]
Morinaga began manufacturing Hi-Chew candy in Mebane, North Carolina in 2016. Morinaga announced plans for a second Mebane factory in 2024, scheduled to begin manufacturing in 2027.[11][13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Message from the President". Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ "Corporate Profile". Morinaga & Company. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ^ "Company Profile". Nikkei Asian Review. Nikkei Inc. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ a b "About the company". Financial Times. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ Picken, Stuart D.B. (December 19, 2016). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Business. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-4422-5589-0.
- ^ "Group Network | About Us | Morinaga＆Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Introduction of Business Fields | About Us | Morinaga & Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Corporate Development and History | About Us | Morinaga & Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Showa Era | Corporate Development and History | About Us | Morinaga & Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Dream come chew: Japanese candy fans to get reverse imports of US Hi-Chew flavors". Mainichi Daily News. July 25, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "How North Carolina became the home of Japan's #1 candy". The Counter. March 28, 2017. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Business Office Guide | About Us | Morinaga＆Co., Ltd". www.morinaga.co.jp. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Maker of HI-CHEW candy is building a 2nd NC plant. Here's what it plans for Mebane site". Yahoo Finance. July 16, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
External links
edit- (in Japanese) Morinaga & Company
- (in English) Morinaga & Company corporate profile
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