| Extra info | Suntory was started by Torii Shinjiro, who first opened his store Torii Shoten in Osaka on February 1, 1899, to sell imported wines. In 1907, the store began selling a sweet tasting red wine called Akadama Port Wine. The store became Kotobukiya Ltd. in 1921 to further expand its business and in 1923, Torii Shinjiro built Japan's first malt whisky distillery Yamazaki Distillery. Production began in December 1924 and five years later Suntory Whisky Shirofuda (White Label), the first single malt whisky made in Japan, was sold.
Due to shortages during World War II, Kotobukiya was forced to halt its development of new products, but in 1946 it re-released Torys Whisky, which sold well in post-war Japan. In 1961, Kotobukiya launched the "Drink Torys and Go to Hawaii" campaign. At the time, a trip abroad was considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In 1963, Kotobukiya changed its name to Suntory Ltd., taken from the name of the whisky it produces. In the same year, Musashino Beer Factory in Fuchi began the production of the Suntory Beer. In 1997, the company became Japan's sole bottler, distributor, and licensee of Pepsi products.
On April 1, 2009, Suntory became a stockholding company named Suntory Holdings Limited and established Suntory Beverage and Food Limited, Suntory Products Limited, Suntory Wellness Limited, Suntory Liquors Limited , Suntory Beer & Spirits Limited, Suntory Wine International Limited, and Suntory Business Expert Limited
On July 14, 2009, Kirin announced that it was negotiating with Suntory on a merger.On February 8, 2010, it was announced that negotiations between the two were terminated.
In 2009 they acquired Orangina, the orange soft drink for 300 billion yen, and Frucor energy drinks for 600 million euros. On 2 July 2013 the company debuted on the Tokyo stock exchange and raised almost US$4 billion in the process.
In January 2014, Suntory announced an agreement to buy the largest U.S. bourbon producer, Beam Inc. for US$16 billion. This deal would make Suntory the world's third largest spirits maker. The acquisition was completed on April 30, 2014, when it was also announced that Beam would be renamed as Beam Suntory.
Also in January 2014, Suntory purchased the drinks division of British GlaxoSmithKline. This included the brands Lucozade and Ribena, however, the deal did not include Horlicks |
|