Food and drink
Yakult ヤクルト
A doctor's probiotic drink
Minoru Shirota, a doctor in Kyoto, cultured a strong strain of lactic acid bacteria and launched Yakult in Fukuoka in 1935. Its small bottles are now sold in dozens of countries, often delivered to homes and offices by "Yakult Ladies".
- Founded
- 1935
- Shōwa 10
- Founder
- Minoru Shirota
- Started in
- Fukuoka
- Status
- Still trading
- Age 91 years
Timeline
-
1930 (Shōwa 5)
Shirota cultures the bacteria later named Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota.
-
1935 (Shōwa 10)
Yakult goes on sale in Fukuoka.
-
1963 (Shōwa 38)
Starts home delivery by Yakult Ladies.
-
1964 (Shōwa 39)
Opens its first overseas business, in Taiwan.
Years in brackets are the Japanese era year. Japanese era converter →
Did you know?
The name comes from jahurto, the Esperanto word for yoghurt.
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Dates follow the companies' own published histories where available. Trademarks belong to their owners; this page is not affiliated with any company listed.