How HI-CHEW Successfully Localized a Global Brand in the U.S. With Fun and Innovation

How HI-CHEW Successfully Localized a Global Brand in the U.S. With Fun and Innovation

Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 12:50 – 1:50 PM (Lunch will be provided) 
Room 590, Geffen Hall, Columbia Business School (map)
(645 West 130th Street, New York, NY 10027)

Featuring:

Teruhiro Kawabe

Chief Representative for the USA; President; CEO, Morinaga America Inc. 

Moderator:
Dr. Yumiko Shimabukuro

Faculty, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; Co-Founder, Japanese Management Leadership Program, CJEB

What you'll learn: 

• The history of HI-CHEW and other Morinaga America products in the U.S.
• Distribution efforts to bring Japanese candies to the global marketplace
• Morinaga's transcultural marketing efforts
• How flavor and fun can be used to globalize a brand

Biography:

Teruhiro Kawabe has worked with Morinaga Group for over 30 years, currently serving as Chief Representative for the USA and President/CEO of Morinaga America Inc. (MAI). He oversees and supervises Morinaga America Foods, Inc., the production facility in North Carolina, and Morinaga America, Inc., the U.S. corporate division of the company. He previously served as President and CEO of Morinaga Asia Pacific (MAP) in Bangkok, Thailand. During his tenure with MAP, Mr. Kawabe grew the HI-CHEW™ brand’s distribution footprint throughout New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa, tripling the sales volume in just three years. He also introduced HI-CHEW™ to the mainstream market through distribution expansion in the grocery, food, drug, mass, and convenience channels of trade. HI-CHEW™ sales in the U.S. have grown from $8 million in 2012 to more than $100 million in 2021. Additionally, he executed new brand launches within MAI, including Chargel, a unique energy gel drink made in Japan, and HI-SOFT, a Japanese long-selling caramel brand that debuted in the USA in 2023. Mr. Kawabe earned an LLB from Kyoto Sangyo University.

Admission and Contact: 

You must register to attend this event in person.

Special Notes:
● This in-person-only event is open to the public and will not be livestreamed.
● Please be advised that this event may be photographed, so your image may appear on our website later. If this is an issue, please let us know.
● Please bring a government-issued ID or Columbia University ID to access Columbia Business School

If you have questions about the event, please contact us at cjeb@gsb.columbia.edu.