North America

Glico Foods Corporation was a joint venture established in Vancouver, Canada to import Ezaki Glico products. The company was later renamed Glico Canada Corporation and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Ezaki Glico in 2017.

Entering the huge US market had long been a challenge for Ezaki Glico. To establish a market foothold, Ezaki Glico acquired the Confectionery and Snack Division of MEI, giving it a sales network covering department stores and major retailers. The acquisition was named Glico Harmony Foods and was established in Santa Cruz, California. New company focused initially on maintaining and developing its existing business, with near-term plans to launch Pocky, Pretz, and other Ezaki Glico products in the US. The company consisted of three divisions engaged respectively in production and sales of bulk confectionery; sales of luxury chocolate products to department stores and other retailers; and operation of mini-shops located in the retail outlets of Sears, Roebuck and Co., at the time the largest retailer in the US.

In the 1990s, US confectionery industry became mired in intensifying price competition. Glico Harmony Foods products were non-competitive, and sales were stagnant. Furthermore, all 200 mini-shops were forced to close as part of the business restructuring of Sears. This was a decisive blow. Restructuring and factory consolidation failed to solve the problem. With large accumulated losses and no path to restructuring, the company was liquidated in 1996 and its business rights transferred to another company.

Ezaki Glico opened a US Representative Office in Belmont, California, to engage in sales promotion and planning for products imported from Japan.

To expand the business and engage in sales activities that could not be handled by the Representative Office, Ezaki Glico registered a company at the same address. It later relocated to Burlingame, then to Irvine, California. The company actively engaged in sales and marketing centered on Pocky, to promote the Ezaki Glico brand in the US.

Ezaki Glico’s acquisition of TCHO Ventures, Inc., based in Berkeley, California, marked the company’s entry into the production and sale of high-quality chocolate in the US. TCHO-branded chocolate has a large following among consumption-oriented American millennials, due to its mainly organic ingredients and high-quality manufacturing processes.

Glico North America Holdings is the group’s second regional operating company, following Glico Asia Pacific. Established in 2018, it became the holding company for Ezaki Glico USA and TCHO Ventures in 2019. It controls and manages Ezaki Glico’s business in North America and will pursue sustainable development in the US market.