Potato Chip Maker Koike-ya Opens New Factory in Gifu City; Facility Includes Attraction Where Visitors Can Design Their Own Chips

By Kanade Sugimoto / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:12 JST, November 17, 2025

KAIZU, Gifu — Koike-ya Inc., a popular manufacturer of potato chips and other snack foods, recently held a grand opening ceremony for a new factory in the city of Kaizu, Gifu Prefecture.

The new facility is one of the largest in the country for the Tokyo-based company, and the first in the Chubu region. It also includes an attraction called the Koikeya Gogo! Factory, where visitors can design their own original potato chips.

The factory, which covers an area of about 29,000 square meters, is scheduled to begin operating in December. The location was chosen primarily because it is in an area surrounded by the Kiso, Nagara and Ibi rivers — also known as the Kiso Three Rivers — which provide it with abundant ground water. Construction cost about ¥10 billion.

The company has hired 40 full-time employees and 70 part-time workers, primarily from within the prefecture, to staff the factory, and there are plans to hire more.

The potato chips and other products manufactured at the plant will be sold primarily in the Tokai and Hokuriku regions, though some will be shipped to the Kansai area.

According to Koike-ya, its production lines are currently concentrated in eastern Japan, so this factory’s operations could reduce shipping costs by 60%-70%.

Additionally, solar panels installed on the roofs of the factory and warehouse buildings will supply part of the electricity needed for production.

“The Chubu factory will become a core facility producing strategic products in accordance with the evolution of snacks in Japan,” Koike-ya President Akira Sato said Nov. 10 at the factory’s grand opening ceremony. The company hopes to reach ¥100 billion in total sales by 2030.

Flavors of Gifu

At the Koikeya Gogo! Factory, visitors can try making potato chips in their own style by mixing flavors, with eight options to choose from, including some tastes unique to Gifu Prefecture, like keichan — a dish made with chicken and vegetables cooked with a special sauce — and Hoba miso paste. They can also design packaging for their new snacks.

Pop idol Kento Nakajima and child actor Yuno Nagao, who both appear in Koike-ya advertisements, visited the factory on the day of the ceremony and tried out making their own chips.

“The Chubu factory showcases the latest environmentally conscious equipment and systems. I hope many people will come to visit,” Nakajima said,

Factory tours will begin in spring for local elementary and junior high school students. Free tours for the general public are also being planned.