After nearly ten years of successful operations in western Orange County, Morinaga & Co. will expand its American production system of candy with a new facility at the same site. Morinaga America Foods, Inc. made the announcement with North Carolina Department of Commerce, Orange County, and the City of Mebane leaders on Tuesday morning, holding a ceremony and press availability at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough. The Japanese-based company is investing around $136 million into a new factory for its HI-CHEW candy, which will be attached to its current plant that manufactures the fruity chews for the United States market. The 40,000+ square-foot expansion will add an estimated 204 jobs to the county. Masaki Matsumoto, the senior executive officer and general manager of the Overseas Business Division for Morinaga Japan, said at the event Morinaga plans to begin construction in October while aiming to complete the new facility in mid-2026 and begin operation in January 2027. He sai...