IRVINE, CALIF. — Morinaga & Co., Ltd., the Japanese parent company of Morinaga America, Inc., has entered into an agreement to acquire frozen novelty manufacturer My/Mochi. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
My/Mochi markets a line of frozen mochi desserts featuring ice cream encased in a sweet rice dough. The company also offers non-dairy frozen novelties and mochi sorbets. The company generated $80 million in sales in the 52-week period ended Jan. 25, according to SPINS data.
“In welcoming My/Mochi to the Morinaga family, we see a tremendous opportunity to build a sustainable snacking business positioned for future growth,” said Teruhiro Kawabe, chief representative for the USA and president and chief executive officer of Morinaga America, Inc. “We will honor the heritage and innovation behind My/Mochi while combining the strengths of our brands to bring even more fun and excitement to consumers and customers across the US.”
The acquisition expands Morinaga’s portfolio, which includes such confectionery brands as Hi-Chew, and marks another step in the company’s 2030 business plan. The 2030 strategy aims to transform Morinaga into a “wellness company” and focus resources on high growth potential businesses and markets, including an emphasis on the United States as a priority growth region. Morinaga previously invested more than $130 million into a second Hi-Chew manufacturing facility in Mebane, NC, as part of its US growth effort, and the acquisition now enables the company to enter the US novelty ice cream market at full scale, with the segment garnering $8.6 billion in sales in 2025, according to data from Circana.
“The US ice cream market is on a stable growth course over the medium to long term, with single serve novelties and clean label inclinations and also premiumization progressing, and sustainable growth is expected going forward,” the company said. “My/Mochi offers premium mochi ice cream as its mainstay, characterized by high quality and diverse flavors, supported by careful production methods.”
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