[WCSA – Wowtimes - Almanac Events & Achievements 2023] Milestones during 68 years’ development in the probiotic products of Yakult Honsha (1955)

10-11-2023

(wcsa.world) Yakult has had a significant impact on society, promoting the importance of gut health and encouraging healthy lifestyles. The company has also been a major supporter of education and research in the field of probiotics.

Yakult Honsha Company Limited is a Japanese company known for selling its flagship product, Yakult—a beverage made using industrial lactic milk, a bacterial strain discovered by Minoru Shirota in the 1920s.

Yakult has become a well-known global brand and is available in many countries. In addition to its flagship product, Yakult Honsha also produces various other dairy and non-dairy products, including different flavors of probiotic drinks, supplements, related health items and cosmetics, and biotechnology products.

(Wowtimes) Yakult’s history and achievements

1955: Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd. was established in Tokyo.
1963: Yakult launched its unique “Yakult Ladies” system of door-to-door distribution in Japan.
1967: The Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research was established in Kunitachi, Tokyo.
1968: A new plastic bottle replaced Yakult’s original glass bottle which became the iconic image of the company.
1971: Yakult launched a skin lotion and a moisturizing cream with ingredients derived from bacterial fermentation. The cosmetics range is based on the concept of “beauty and health from the inside”.
1981: Yakult Mexico was found
1992: Yakult BioScience Foundation was established in the Netherlands.
1993 Purpose-built factory and office complex was built in Dandenong, Victoria Australia
1994: Yakult entered Europe. The Netherlands became the first country in Europe to introduce Yakult.
1998: Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare to label their products as ‘food for specified health use’ (FOSHU).
2001: Yaklult developed the world's first automatic analysis system for intestinal flora.
2010: Yakult established a US subsidiary and committed to building a factory in Fountain Valley, California in the United States
2014: Yaklult launched the Yakult Space Discovery Project exploring the intake of Lactobacillus casei Shirota on the International Space Station.
2020: Yakult is available in 40 countries around the world.
2021: Yakult was recognized as one of the world’s best brands at the World Branding Forum’s World Branding Awards (WBA)