HI-CHEW®, the immensely fruity, intensely chewy candy, has selected global brand licensing agency Beanstalk to extend its brand into food and beverage and lifestyle categories that will bring its vibrant brand experience into people’s homes and everyday lives. 

Since 2008, HI-CHEW® has become a global sensation, celebrating the joy of sharing and savoring life’s simple pleasures. Known for its upbeat personality, long-lasting flavor, brightly colored packaging and Japanese heritage, HI-CHEW® creates moments of everyday happiness from the minute it’s opened.  

Building off the success of marketing partnerships with Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Hockey League (NHL) and previous brand collaborations with Menchie’s, Zola Bakes​, Dana’s Bakery​ and The Doughnut Project, the HI-CHEW® licensing program will offer consumers exciting ways to honor, share and enjoy this authentic Japanese confectionery brand. Beanstalk will leverage HI-CHEW®’s mouth-watering flavors and vibrant colors to a variety of categories including food and beverage, fashion and lifestyle, health and beauty, gift and novelty, social expression, and buzzworthy collaborations. 

Teruhiro Kawabe, ​Chief Representative for the USA & President, CEO of Morinaga America, Inc., ​said, “I am excited to announce our strategic partnership with licensing agency Beanstalk. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for us, opening doors to a broader audience and allowing us to share the exceptional quality and taste of our brand with a​ ​wider demographic of consumers.” 

Allison Ames, President and CEO of Beanstalk, said, “Beanstalk is thrilled to be partnering with beloved confectionery brand HI-CHEW®. With a digitally engaged audience that embraces the brand’s all-natural ingredients, bright color palette and Japanese heritage, HI-CHEW® is establishing a unique position in culture. This will naturally translate to vibrant and exciting partnerships. We look forward to bringing HI-CHEW®’s brand to life through joyful products that consumers will celebrate in a multitude of ways.” 

About Morinaga America, Inc.
Established in 2008, Morinaga America, Inc. is the official distributor of HI-CHEW®, HI-SOFT™, and Chargel™ in the United States. 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. 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. 

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 Orchard Mix. The all-new HI-CHEW® Bites are unwrapped in bite-size packaging in Mango, Green Apple, and Strawberry flavors. 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.