KAGOME> Company History
1899
Ichitaro Kanie first began cultivating tomatoes and other non-native vegetables
1903
Started production of tomato sauce (currently tomato puree)
1908
Started production of tomato ketchup and Worcestershire sauce
1933
Started sales of tomato juice
1949
Established Aichi Tomato Co., Ltd., through a merger of five companies:
Aichi Tomato Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Aichi Canned Products Co., Ltd.,
Shiga Canned Products Co., Ltd., Aichi Trading Co., Ltd., and Aichi Marine Industries Co., Ltd.
1963
Changed the Company’s name to Kagome Co., Ltd., and formulated the tomato logo
1966
Started sales of tomato ketchup in plastic tubes, a world first
1967
Established Taiwan Kagome Co., Ltd.
1973
Started sales of vegetable mixed juice
1978
Publicly listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
1979
Established the Kagome Research Institute in Tochigi Prefecture
1983
Changed the corporate mark to KAGOME as part of Kagome’s corporate identity strategy
1988
Achieved net sales of ¥100 billion.
Started operations in the United States as a manufacturer of tomato sauce for institutional and industrial use
1995
Launched YASAI SEIKATSU 100, which today is Japan’s best-selling series in the fruit & vegetable mixed juice category
1999
Entered the fresh tomato business
Started full-fledged entry into the fresh tomato business
2000
Announced our Corporate Philosophy: "Appreciation, Nature and Corporate Openness"
2001
Launched a strategy to increase "Kagome-Fan" shareholders
Acquired all shares in Snow Brand Labio Co., Ltd. to start a probiotics business
2003
Launched our corporate brand statement: "True to nature, the flavor of KAGOME" Established Vegitalia S.p.A. in Italy
2005
Established Kagome (Hangzhou) Food Co., Ltd., and began selling vegetable and fruit beverages
2006
Launched the Lactobacillus brevis KB290-based beverage "Labre"
2007
Kagome Co., Ltd. invested in Portugal-based Holding da Industria Transformadora do Tomate, SGPS S.A. (HIT), the holding company controlling Italagro (Industria da Transformacao de Productos Alimentares S.A.) and FIT (Fomento da Industria do Tomate S.A.), manufacturers of tomato products for institutional use.
Kagome Inc. acquired Creative Foods, LLC. (Current name: Kagome Foods, Inc.)
2010
Signed business purchase agreements with Australia-based tomato processing and farming companies and established holding company Kagome Australia Pty Ltd.
2012
Made Holding da Industria Transformadora do Tomate,SGPS S.A.(HIT) a subsidiary though purchase of additional shares
Established OSOTSPA KAGOME CO.,LTD. in Thailand
2013
Established Ruchi kagome Foods India Pvt. Ltd. In India
Made United Genetics Holding LLC a subsidiary through capital investment