Morinaga America acquires My/Mochi to strengthen its US frozen treats and confectionery portfolio, expanding beyond its iconic Hi-Chew candies with texture and flavor-driven innovation.
Morinaga’s acquisition of frozen mochi brand My/Mochi aligns with several areas the Japanese company is looking for in sweet treats. First, My/Mochi’s existing distribution network in US grocery stores. Second, the frozen novelty’s layered flavors in a chewy, rice-dough mochi shell complements Morinaga’s hero confection Hi-Chew’s chewy texture in a myriad of fruity flavors.
The acquisition is part of Morinaga America’s goal to expand beyond its flagship Hi-Chew candies by 2030, according to Morinaga America’s President and CEO Teruhiro Kawabe.
One of Morinaga America’s first portfolio expansions was Hi Soft, a milk-based soft caramel candy that launched in 2023. That same year, the company introduced a smaller, unwrapped format for its Hi-Chew candies aptly named Hi-Chew Bites. With the rise of gummies across the confectionery landscape, Morinaga tapped into the trend by launching Hi-Chew Gummies and Hi-Chew Gummies Sour in 2024.
With more SKUs across its confectionery portfolio, Morinaga opened its second facility in Mebane, NC, in 2024 with production to start in 2027. The first factory produces more than two billion pieces of Hi-Chew annually, and the second will help support wider distribution in other channels like club and dollar stores, Kawabe said.
So, what’s next for Morinaga?
Expanding into US frozen treats market
Enter My/Mochi. The brand was founded in 2015 by Los Angeles-based confectionery company Mikawaya, which was later bought by private equity firm Century Park Capital Partners.
But the My/Mochi acquisition is not Morinaga America’s first US foray into frozen novelties.
Last year, Morinaga introduced Hi-Chew Pops in Costco stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. The frozen pops, produced in Japan, are available in Grape and Strawberry flavors with a creamy, chewy center – a nod to its namesake fruity and chewy candies.
Morinaga is a leading manufacturer of frozen novelties in Japan, including the popular Monaka Jumbo frozen wafers available in its home country. The My/Mochi acquisition expands Morinaga’s frozen treats business in the US. The blend of crispy wafers and chocolate or vanilla ice cream creates a textural experience with a confectionery twist for Japanese consumers, according to the company.
The American consumer is no different when it comes to sensory experiences with their sweet treats either. The My/Mochi acquisition is a timely move for Morinaga America, especially as consumers demand more novel textures across both confectionery and frozen treats, noted Kawabe.
Mochi delivers on texture thanks to the sweet glutinous rice which is steamed and stretched to create a chewy rice cake for sweet or savory dishes. Beyond frozen novelties, mochi is found in other products like gummies and sweetened bean paste.
My/Mochi is available in a variety of flavors from classics like Strawberry and Cotton Candy to the viral Dubai Chocolate. Production will continue in My/Mochi’s existing Los Angeles factory under its current leadership, according to Kawabe. Morinaga will lend its R&D and expertise to My/Mochi production, with possible plans to create activations and products that lean on the double layers and flavor varieties between My/Mochi and Hi-Chew, he added.
