Suntory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Suntory Limited (サントリー株式会社 Santorī Kabushiki-gaisha?) is a Japanese brewing and distilling company. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan. Its business has expanded to other fields, and the company now offers everything from soft drinks to vintage wines. Suntory is headquartered in Dojimahama, Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka prefecture.
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[edit] History
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 company in 1921 to further expand its business. In December 1924, Yamazaki Distillery, the first Japanese whisky distillery, began its production of malt whisky. Five years later Suntory Whisky Sirofuda (White Label), the first single malt whisky made in Japan, was sold.
Due to wartime shortage of World War II, Kotobukiya was briefly forced to halt its development of new products. In 1961, Kotobukiya launched the famous "Drink This Whisky 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", taken from the name of the famous whisky it produces. In the same year, Musashino Beer Factory began its production of the Suntory Beer. In 1997, the company became Japan's sole bottler, distributor, and licensee of Pepsi products.
[edit] Joint ventures
From the early 1990s, Suntory has collaborated extensively with Melbourne biotechnology firm Florigene to genetically engineer the world's first true blue rose, a symbol often associated with the impossible or unattainable. In 1991, the team won the intense global race to isolate the gene responsible for blue flowers, and has since developed a range of genetically modified flowers expressing colors in the blue spectrum, as well as a number of other breakthroughs extending the vase life of cut flowers.
In 2003, Suntory acquired a 98.5% equity holding in Florigene. Prior to this, Florigene had been a subsidiary of global agrochemicals giant Nufarm Limited since 1999. In July 2004, Suntory and Florigene scientists announced to the world the development of the first roses containing blue pigment, an important step toward the creation of a truly blue colored rose.
[edit] In the media
- Suntory was one of the first Asian companies to specifically employ American celebrities to market their product. In the late 1970s, Akira Kurosawa directed a famous series of commercials featuring American celebrities on the set of his film Kagemusha. One of these featured Francis Ford Coppola (an executive producer of the film), which later inspired Sofia Coppola in the writing of Lost in Translation, a film which focuses on an American actor filming a Suntory commercial in Tokyo. Suntory was also seen on-screen in the 2006 film Babel. A billboard can also be seen in the movie Spiderman.
- A Reuters photo by Toshiyuki Aizawa from July, 2003 showed Suntory's unusual marketing strategy of TV helmets. In this scheme, advertising company employees clad in orange jumpsuits wear televisions that broadcast wide-screen digital feeds of the brewing company's commercial on top of their helmets.
- Suntory operates two museums, the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo and the Suntory Museum Tempozan in Osaka, in addition to a number of cultural and social programs across Japan.
- There is also a variation of the video game Tapper featuring the Suntory logo which was produced by Bally-Midway in 1983.
- Suntory produced the "Final Fantasy Potion", which was released in Japan only for a limited time to celebrate the release of the Square Enix, PlayStation 2 game, Final Fantasy XII
- There is a top Japanese rugby club called the Suntory Sungoliath owned by the Suntory company.
- In the 1970's, Suntory engaged US pop group, the Carpenters, to advertise its new line of soft drinks.
- Suntory is a former sponsor of the professional match play golf tournament played annually at Wentworth Club, near London.
[edit] Products
- Other Drinks
[edit] See also
- Suntory Sungoliath rugby team - champions of the 2007-08 Top League (fifth season)
- Suntory Mermaid II - Wave powered catamaran
[edit] External links
