Swedish oral pouch manufacturer WiJo Pouches North America Inc. will establish its first North American production facility in Lexington County, South Carolina, according to a statement from Gov. Henry McMaster (R-South Carolina).
The 55,000-square-foot leased facility at 381 Burton Road will produce nicotine, caffeine and functional pouches. Operations are expected to begin in March and the $13.5 million investment will create 170 new jobs, the governor’s office said.
“As a long-standing member of the South Carolina business community for more than 25 years, I am honored to lead WiJo Pouches NA [North America] here in the Midlands,” CEO Jerry Sweetland said. “We look forward to the future, to WiJo’s continued growth and to being a valued and collaborative contributor to the regional business community.”
McMaster said welcoming another international manufacturer to South Carolina further strengthens the state’s thriving business community. WiJo Pouches North America is part of Sweden-based WiJo Pouches, a full-service global contract manufacturer specializing in premium, next-generation oral pouches.
“WiJo Pouches NA’s [North America’s] new facility, along with the 170 new jobs it creates in Lexington County, will provide opportunities that greatly benefit our state and people for years to come,” McMaster said.
Nicotine pouch production ramps up in the U.S.
WiJo Pouches North America is part of a broader Southeastern expansion in the United States in the nicotine pouch market. Swisher has announced a $135 million expansion of its Jacksonville, Florida, manufacturing operation to support growing demand for nicotine and caffeine oral pouch products. The company said the project is expected to create at least 240 jobs by the end of 2027.
Reynolds American Inc., a subsidiary of British American Tobacco (BAT), is expanding production at its operations center in Tobaccoville, North Carolina, to accommodate its smokeless nicotine pouch brand, Velo Plus.
Convenience-store retailers continue to report strong growth in nicotine pouches, despite continued pressures on the tobacco consumer, according to Goldman Sachs’ third-quarter 2025 Nicotine Nuggets Survey.
The survey, analyzed by Bonnie Herzog, managing director and senior consumer analyst at Goldman Sachs, New York, represents about 40,000 c-store retail locations across the United States, or roughly 27% of all tobacco outlets.
Retailers and wholesalers reported smokeless and oral nicotine volume growth of 20% in the third quarter, up from 15% in second quarter.
“Looking ahead, retailers expect the oral nicotine category to grow 19% in 2026,” Herzog said.
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