Meiji launches Hello Panda Pretzel in America

Meiji Co., Ltd. (President and Representative Director: Katsunari Matsuda) is pleased to announce that Group company Meiji America Inc. (360 South Belmont Street, York, PA 17403, U.S.A.) launched a new product, Hello Panda Pretzel, under the Hello Panda brand, the most popular brand of Meiji Group confectionery products sold overseas. Hello Panda Pretzel is available from October 2024.

The Hello Panda brand of products we currently sell were launched in America in the 1990s, with production conducted in America since 2015. With sales channel expansion, sales in America have increased nearly three-fold*1 since 2017. To respond to growing demand, Meiji is investing nearly US $28 million (approx. ¥4.1 billion*2) to increase production capacity for Hello Panda. By FY2026, Meiji aims to increase sales by roughly 50% compared to FY2023.

About the Hello Panda Brand
Hello Panda is a biscuit filled with chocolate cream and features a panda illustration. Originating from Japan, this product was originally launched in 1987 under the product name “Konnichiwa Panda” (“Hello Panda” in Japanese). Today, sales are limited to overseas locations with Hello Panda products available in approximately 30 countries and regions, including America, Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe as well as China, where we started production and sales in September 2024.

Hello Panda is a brand that has carved out its own growth trajectory overseas. In October 2024, the brand launched sales of Hello Panda Pretzel on the American market. Hello Panda Pretzel combines pretzel and chocolate cream to offer the sweet and salty flavor profile. Pretzels are very popular in America, where the pretzel market is estimated to be roughly 420 billion yen*3.

*1: Meiji research (FY2023 results, compared to FY2017)
*2: US $1 = JP ¥148.25 (as of October 9, 2024)
*3: Euromonitor