Kirin Company
Kirin Company
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Kirin Company

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Kirin Company

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited. (キリンホールディングス株式会社) is a Japanese beer and beverage holding company. It is known for brands such as Kirin Beer, Kirin Lemon, Mets, and Gogo no Kōcha.

The predecessor of the company, the Japan Brewery Company, was founded in Yokohama in 1885 by William Henry Talbot and Edgar Abbott. In 1888, they launched Kirin Beer. In 1907, the business of JBC[further explanation needed] was inherited[by whom?], and Kirin Brewery Company was established. In 2007, it became Kirin Holdings Company, a holding company, with Kirin Beer Company, Kirin Beverage Company, and Mercian Corporation as its main subsidiaries. As a result, the brewery division was taken over by the second incarnation of Kirin Brewery.

Kirin is a core member of the Mitsubishi Group.

In Japanese, "Kirin" can refer to giraffes, or to Qilin (麒麟), the mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creatures in East Asian culture. Kirin Brewery is named after the latter.

The Japan Brewery Company, Limited, the forerunner of Kirin Brewery, was established in 1885, taking over the assets of the Spring Valley Brewery, first founded in Yokohama in 1869 by Norwegian-American brewer, William Copeland. In a deal brokered by Thomas Blake Glover, Japan Brewery was incorporated in Hong Kong in the name of W. H. Talbot and E. H. Abbott with financial backing provided by a group of Japanese investors including Iwasaki Yanosuke, then-president of Mitsubishi.

Japan Brewery first began marketing Kirin Beer in 1888. The Kirin Brewery Company was established as a separate legal entity in February 1907, purchasing the assets of the Japan Brewery and expanding the business in an era of growing consumer demand. Kirin Brewery built on the traditions of Japan Brewery retaining the use of malted grains and hops imported from Germany and employing German brewers to oversee production. An exclusive partnership with Meidi-ya proved highly successful in the marketing of Kirin's beers both in Japan and under the Japan Brewery and Water Bureau and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Kirin Brewery sells two of the most popular beers in Japan: Kirin Lager, one of the country's oldest beer brands, brewed since 1888; and Ichiban Shibori. Within the happoshu (low-malt) category, Kirin Tanrei is the top seller. Kirin handles domestic distribution for several foreign brands, including Budweiser and Heineken.

Kirin's brewery operations also extend overseas, through strategic alliances, subsidiaries, and affiliates, to China, Taiwan, Australia, the Philippines, Europe, New Zealand and the United States. The company holds a 100% stake in Lion Nathan Limited, a consolidated subsidiary that is based in Australia but has particularly important operations in China. Kirin has a 48% stake in San Miguel Brewery, the dominant brewer in the Philippines. Kirin now applies its fermentation technology to areas such as plant genetics, pharmaceuticals, and bioengineering. Although brewing and related businesses remain the core of Kirin's activities, the company is also involved in several other sectors: hard liquor, wine, soft drinks, and food products.

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