Calbee America Launches R&D Innovation Center in Madera, CA

New Facility to Support Growing Asian-Inspired Snack Business and Flagship Harvest Snaps Brand

FAIRFIELD, Calif., Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Calbee America, Inc., a snack pioneer for over 70 years, is strengthening its domestic innovation capabilities with the introduction of a new R&D Innovation Center in Madera, CA, located at 20237 Masa Street. Planned to help the company grow in double digits annually by accelerating innovation and product development, the facility will support the team in bringing Asian-flavored offerings to the mainstream marketplace and expanding Harvest Snaps' presence as a better-for-you brand in the salty snack category. A grand opening will take place on Friday, January 24^th at 10am, complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony, coffee truck, booths to share Calbee's history, and a build-your-own snack station.

Calbee is Japan's largest snack company¹, with its U.S. division driving revenue growth. The flagship Harvest Snaps brand that pioneered the produce aisle recently expanded its nutrient-dense, veggie-based lineup to include 100% whole fruit snacks for kids, plus Crunchy Puffs made with navy beans as the first ingredient. In addition, Calbee's Asian-inspired snack brands, including its iconic Shrimp Chips, are a leader in the Asian salty snack aisle at mainstream retail channels, outperforming the category in annual growth². In addition, newly launched Asian Style Chips are planned to drive category expansion.

Leveraging the latest food industry technology from Japan, the R&D Innovation Center will accelerate innovation and spearhead the development of more Asian-flavored snacks appealing to the American palate, along with better-for-you snacks under the Harvest Snaps banner. Complete with state-of-the-art kitchen and offices accommodating up to 15 researchers, the facility will create products ranging from tortilla and potato chips to popcorn, cereal and crackers that can be certified organic, gluten free, non-GMO and kosher.

Takuro Kris Tatsumi, Director of R&D at Calbee America Inc. said, "We are so proud of the great-tasting, high-quality products that our team has brought to the North American marketplace to date and look forward to expanding our ability to innovate with a new hub here in the United States. We will explore different ingredient bases and flavors, along with improvements in texture and new snack shapes."

About Calbee America, Inc. 
The Calbee Group has been proudly crafting snacks since 1949. Since expanding from Japan in 1970, Calbee America has been committed to harvesting the power of nature and bringing taste and fun to people through snacks, from salty-umami and satisfying-veggie to crunchy-fruity. Visit CalbeeAmerica.com, HarvestSnaps.com, and Calbee.co.jp/EN/ for more information and follow @calbeeusa and @harvestsnaps on social media. 

¹ INTAGE Inc., SRI+, based on cumulative sales value nationwide, all retail formats, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 (April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024). Snack food market share: Total for Calbee, Inc., and Japan Frito-Lay Ltd.
² IRI SPINS, MULO, latest 52 weeks ending 9-8-24, total salty snacks

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SOURCE Calbee America, Inc.