| Type | public kabushiki gaisha |
|---|---|
| Traded as | TYO: 2593 |
| Industry | Beverage |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo |
| Products | Tea |
| Website | ITO EN |
ITO EN, LTD. (株式会社伊藤園) (TYO: 2593) is a Japanese multinational beverage company specializing in tea production, distribution, and sales. ITO EN is the largest green tea distributor in Japan.[1] The Ito En Group includes subsidiaries based in Japan, The United States, and Australia.[2] Its products include unsweetened, bottled green tea and loose leaf tea. Ito En is currently the fourth largest soft drink producer in Japan, after Coca Cola group, Suntory Beverage, and Kirin Beverage. Ito En also produces private label beverages for various retailers in Japan.
As a result of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Ito En is currently using the slogan "Kono tabi no Higashi Nihon Daishinsai ni yori Hisai sareta Katagata ni, tsutsushinde omimai mōshiagemasu." (このたびの東日本大震災により被災された方々に、謹んでお見舞い申し上げます。 We wish to express our deepest condolences to those who have suffered as a consequence of the earthquake.) at the end of its television commercials to show its deepest sympathies to customers who lost their families in the earthquake.[3]
ITO EN (North America) Inc. was founded in May 2001 and simultaneously entered the beverage wholesale, retail, and restaurant industries. In 2002, the Teas' Tea line of unsweetened bottled teas was launched as ITO EN's main product line for North America. A flagship store containing the ITO EN New York store and KAI Restaurant was opened on New York's Madison Avenue.[4]