Snacks are a necessity for any college sporting event experience, and now fans will be able to enjoy HI-CHEW™ while cheering for their favorite team, the Blue Devils. This fruit-forward partnership will bring a unique experience and HI-CHEW™ fun to sports fans and visitors alike.
- During each Basketball, Football, Lacrosse, and Baseball home game, fans should be on the lookout for their favorite fruity, chewy candy brand on the big screen as well as LED signage throughout the fields.
- Participants in the kid reporter program will be able to join in on the fun as HI-CHEW™ will be the presenting sponsor of this program.
- HI-CHEW™ will also activate at two athletic events each calendar year to hand out samples, swag and more!
“We are thrilled to partner with Duke Athletics and bring HI-CHEW’s fun brand experience to the Blue Devil fans,” said Noriyuki Nishikawa, CEO of Morinaga America Foods Incorporated. “HI-CHEW’s first American production facility was opened in Mebane, North Carolina in 2015, so this partnership also serves as a further extension of our commitment to continue to engage the local community.”
North Carolina has a strong industrial history with a growing workforce, making it an ideal location to produce the chewy, fruity candy. The 100,435-square-foot factory in Mebane was opened to help keep up with the growing demand for HI-CHEW™ in the U.S. The factory is in close proximity to Duke University and currently employs 220 people and produces more than 5 million chewlets a day – that’s enough HI-CHEW™ produced every year to wrap around the Earth’s equator. The partnership with Duke Athletics will enable HI-CHEW™ to support the local community and reach brand fans in the North Carolina market.
Since its launch, HI-CHEW™ has been constantly driven by flavor innovation and experimentation. The brand continues to conduct extensive research to develop the perfect flavors for all consumers to enjoy. With nearly 1 billion pieces of HI-CHEW™ consumed each year, consumers can’t get enough of the fruity-chewy candy brand.
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About Morinaga America, Inc.:
Established in 2008, Morinaga America, Inc. is the official distributor of HI-CHEW™ in the United States. With over 200 flavors of HI-CHEW™ having debuted in Japan, Morinaga America, Inc. has introduced the United States market to the best of Japanese confectionery. Morinaga America, Inc. (marketing and sales) and Morinaga America Foods, Inc. (manufacturing) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Morinaga & Co., Ltd., which began in 1899 as the first, modern candy maker and producer of chocolates in Japan. In 2015, Morinaga America, Inc. opened its first United States manufacturing facility in North Carolina.
About HI-CHEW™:
The history of Morinaga stretches back over a century when company founder Taichiro Morinaga brought his candy-making skills to Japan from America in the 1800s. HI-CHEW™ has long been the best-selling soft candy in Japan and continues to see year-over-year growth throughout other parts of Asia and in the United States. In the United States, HI-CHEW™ is currently offered in sticks, peg bags, and stand-up pouches. The HI-CHEW™ sticks come in a variety of flavors including Strawberry, Green Apple, Mango, Grape, Banana, Kiwi, Açaí, and Sweet & Sour Watermelon. HI-CHEW™ also offers peg bags in the following flavors: Original Mix, Tropical Mix, Superfruit Mix, Sweet & Sour Mix, Soda Pop Mix, Berry Mix, Plus Fruit, Fantasy Mix and new Reduced Sugar. The Stand-Up Pouches are available in Original Mix, Tropical Mix, Sweet and Sour Mix, Fruit Combos and Infrusions. HI-CHEW™ is made with concentrated fruit juices and is free of gluten, with no colors from synthetic sources. HI-CHEW™ continues to expand fruity, chewy flavor offerings annually. In 2020, HI-CHEW™ won a Nielsen Design Impact Award for its new Original Mix packaging update that hit shelves in 2019. For more information, visit HI-CHEW.com.