Footnotes/references Kotobuki Realty is a private asset management company owned by the Torii and Saji families.[3][4]
Suntory Holdings Limited[a] is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of Western-style alcoholic beverages in Japan and one of the largest drinks companies in the world following its acquisition of Beam, Inc. in 2014.[5][6]
From left to right: Hakushu, Hibiki, Yamazaki; Japanese whiskies from SuntoryOrange juice soft drink from Suntory
Suntory was started by Shinjirō Torii[b], who first opened his store Torii Shōten[c] (lit.'Torii store') in Osaka on February 1, 1899, to sell imported wines. In 1907, the store began selling a fortified wine called Akadama port wine (Akadama literally meaning 'red ball', a euphemism for the sun). The store became the Kotobukiya company in 1921 to further expand its business and in 1923, Torii built Japan's first malt whisky distillery Yamazaki Distillery.
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", taken from the name of the whisky it produces, which itself was derived from the English "Sun" (referencing Akadama) + Tory, the anglicized version of Torii's name. In the same year, Musashino Beer Factory began its production of the Suntory Beer.[citation needed]
On April 1, 2009, Suntory became a stockholding company named Suntory Holdings Limited[d] and established Suntory Beverage and Food Limited[e], Suntory Products Limited[f], Suntory Wellness Limited[g], Suntory Liquors Limited[h], Suntory Beer & Spirits Limited[i], Suntory Wine International Limited[j], and Suntory Business Expert Limited[k].[7]
On July 14, 2009, Kirin announced that it was negotiating with Suntory on a merger.[8] On February 8, 2010, it was announced that negotiations between the two were terminated.[9]
In 2009, Suntory acquired Orangina-Schweppes, the owner of the orange soft drink Orangina, for 300 billion yen, and Frucor energy drinks for 600 million euros.[10] On July 2, 2013, the company's beverage and food division debuted on the Tokyo stock exchange and raised almost US$4 billion in the process.[11]
In September 2013, Suntory purchased the drinks division of GlaxoSmithKline. This included the brands Lucozade and Ribena, however, the deal did not include Horlicks.[12]
In January 2014, Suntory announced an agreement to buy the largest U.S. bourbon producer, Beam Inc. (producers of Jim Beam) for US$16 billion.[13] This deal would make Suntory the world's third largest spirits maker.[14] The acquisition was completed in April 2014, when it was announced that the new subsidiary would be renamed Beam Suntory.[15][16]
In December 2016, Beam Suntory acquired the gin maker Sipsmith.[17]
In November 2017, Suntory and PepsiCo form a joint venture in Thailand.[18]
In 2018, Suntory sold most of Cerebos Pacific assets, including Australian and New Zealand food business to Kraft Heinz for A$290 million.[19][20] This transaction excludes Cerebos Pacific's health supplements and fresh coffee business which later integrated into Suntory Beverage & Food Asia Pte. Ltd. and Suntory Coffee Australia respectively.[19]
In March 2023, Makiko Ono became the first woman to be appointed CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd.[21]
In May 2024, Beam Suntory was re-branded as Suntory Global Spirits including the launch of a new website and visual identity.[22]
In December 2024, it was announced that Nobuhiro Torii, great-grandson of founder Shinjirō Torii, would be appointed as president of Suntory Holdings from March 2025, with incumbent president Takeshi Niinami appointed as its chairman.[23]
In September 2025, Takeshi Niinami resigned as the company's chairman following an investigation into the purchase of possibly illegal supplements.[24][25]
Suntory PepsiCo Vietnam Beverage Co., Ltd (joint venture with PepsiCo)
Subway Japan
Tipco F&B Co., Ltd
Joint ventures
A Suntory Kakubin ('angled bottle') whisky bottle and glass on display at a liquor store in Iizaka, Japan
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.[citation needed]
In 2003, Suntory acquired a 98.5 per cent equity holding in Florigene. Prior to this, Florigene had been a subsidiary of global agrochemicals giant Nufarm 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.
In July 2011, Suntory Beverage and Food Limited together with PT GarudaFood from Tudung Group in Indonesia have agreed to make a new firm to produce non-alcoholic drink with 51 percent and 49 percent shares respectively. It will produce Suntory Oolong Tea, Boss and Orangina.[27]
In April 2019, Suntory partnered with Drinkripples, an Israeli-based company. As part of the collaboration Suntory will use Drinkripples' Ripple Maker machines to print branded and viral content on top of Suntory beer in Suntory certified locations and factories throughout Japan.[28]
Suntory was one of the first East Asian companies to specifically employ American celebrities to market their product.[citation needed] One of the most notable[according to whom?] is Sammy Davis Jr., who appeared in a series of Suntory commercials in the early 1970s. In the late 1970s, Akira Kurosawa directed a 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 his daughter Sofia Coppola in her writing of Lost in Translation, a film which focuses on an American actor (played by Bill Murray) filming a Suntory commercial in Tokyo for the Hibiki whisky.[30]
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.
In the 1970s, Suntory engaged the US pop group the Carpenters to advertise its new line of soft drinks.
In 2023 for Suntory's 100th year anniversary, and 20 years after the appearance of Lost in Translation, director Sofia Coppola was asked to direct the company's anniversary tribute video starring Keanu Reeves, with a mix that included scenes from her film along with footage of her father and Akira Kurosawa's Suntory Whiskey advertisement from the 1970s.[31][32]
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