The oldest companies in the world are the brands and companies which remain operating (either in whole or in part) since inception, excluding associations and educational, government, or religious organizations.
Statistics According to a report published by the Bank of Korea in 2008 that looked at 41 countries, there were 5,586 companies older than 200 years. Of these, 3,146 (56%) are in Japan, 837 (15%) in Germany, 222 (4%) in the Netherlands, and 196 (3%) in France. Of the companies with more than 100 years of history, most of them (89%) employ fewer than 300 people.
A nationwide survey conducted in 2019 identified more than 33,000 Japanese companies with histories of 100 years or more. These long-standing firms are known as shinise. They are governed by a management philosophy that prioritizes long-term continuity and generational succession over short-term profits.
Founded before 1300
Year Company Current location Field Sources578Kongō GumiJapanConstruction705Nishiyama Onsen KeiunkanJapanHotel717KomanJapanHotel718Hōshi RyokanJapanHotel771Genda ShigyōJapanCeremonial paper goods803St. Peter StiftskulinariumAustriaRestaurant862Staffelter HofGermanyWine864Monnaie de ParisFranceMint885Tanaka-IgaJapanReligious goods886The Royal MintUnited KingdomMint970Nakamura ShajiJapanConstruction1000Château de GoulaineFranceWine1000Ichimonjiya WasukeJapanConfectionery1024Shumiya-ShinbutsugutenJapanReligious goods1040Pontificia Fonderia MarinelliItalyChurch bells1040Weihenstephan AbbeyGermanyBrewery1050WeltenburgerGermanyBrewery1068Otterton MillUnited KingdomWatermill1074Benediktinerstift AdmontAustriaWoodworking1075Takahan RyokanJapanHotel1100Schloss JohannisbergGermanyWine1120Zum Roten BärenGermanyHotel1131Hofbrauhaus ArolsenGermanyBrewery1134Geto OnsenJapanHotel1135Munke MølleDenmarkMill1135The Olde BellUnited KingdomHotel1136Aberdeen Harbour BoardUnited KingdomHarbour1141Barone RicasoliItalyWine1141Sudo HonkeJapanSake1153Ma Yu ChingChinaRestaurant1160Tsuen TeaJapanTea1177–1180Gorobee AmeJapanConfectionery1184JapanConfectionery1184KikuokaJapanHerbs1184Sakan RyokanJapanHotel1189Ito TekkoJapanMetalworking1190Shirasagiyu TawarayaJapanHotel1190–1199Kotabe FoundryJapanFoundry1191Tosen GoshoboJapanHotel1191Arima Onsen OkunoboJapanHotel1192Yoshinoya IrokuenJapanHotel1203Angel and RoyalUnited KingdomHotel1209Browar Lwówek 1209PolandBrewery1218Casa de Ganaderos de ZaragozaSpainSheep farming1220The Old BellUnited KingdomHotel1229Brauerei Hofstetten KrammerAustriaBrewery1230 (approx.)Gasthof SternenSwitzerlandRestaurant1239EyguebelleFranceWine1242The Bear InnUnited KingdomPub1245Gasthof zur BlumeSwitzerlandRestaurant1246Sanct PeterGermanyHotel1248BochniaPolandSalt1249Adam & EveUnited KingdomPub1250WieliczkaPolandSalt1250DrohobychUkraineSalt1266Freiberger BrauhausGermanyBrewery1266Bolten-BrauereiGermanyBrewery1268AldersbachGermanyBrewery1270FrapinFranceCognac1270HirterAustriaBrewery1273Piwnica ŚwidnickaPolandRestaurant1283Fürstenberg BreweryGermanyBrewery1283RhanerbräuGermanyBrewery1284Antica trattoria BaguttoItalyRestaurant1288Stora EnsoSwedenOriginally mining, currently paper1293 Moritaka HamonoJapanBlade Smith, Kitchen Knives1295BarovierItalyGlass
1300 to 1399
YearCompanyCurrent locationFieldSources1300KuchlbauerGermanyBrewery1300Grauer Bär (Orso Grigio)ItalyHotel1304Pilgrim HausGermanyHotel1308Aktienbrauerei KaufbeurenGermanyBrewery1308FrescobaldiItalyWine1311NotoyaJapanHotel1312HigashiyaJapanHotel1313Bratwursthäusle NürnbergGermanyRestaurant1313Landgasthof MayrAustriaInn1314GarleyGermanyBrewery1318Rats-ApothekeGermanyPharmacy1319SankoganJapanPharmacy1321Browar NamysłówPolandBrewery1323InterlakenSwitzerlandHotel1325The Old BellUnited KingdomPub1326Richard de BasFrancePaper1327Korenya ShingetsuanJapanConfectionery1328Augustiner-BräuGermanyBrewery1328Kremnica MintSlovakiaMintKremnica Mint1329KanbukuroJapanConfectionery1330Schloss VollradsGermanyWine1331HofpfistereiGermanyBakerybefore 1333Kuroda SennendoJapanConfectionery1334GmachlAustriaHotel1335KarthäuserhofGermanyWine1337Maruya HatchomisoJapanMiso1340BrandNetherlandsBrewery1340Landgasthof LöwenSwitzerlandRestaurant1345La CouronneFranceRestaurant1346Goldene GansGermanyBrewery1346Takata CourtrobeJapanTextile1346Skyllbergs brukSwedenIron processing1348Pivovar BroumovCzech RepublicBrewery1348Haus zum Rüden ZürichSwitzerlandRestaurant1349JapanConfectionery1349Gasthof zum Goldenen SternenSwitzerlandRestaurant1350SchmidbergerAustriaBlacksmith1352Domaine des MolardsSwitzerlandVineyardDynasties genevoises, Tribune de Genève, 20061354Zum WeinbergGermanyRestaurantUlrich Koglin, Achim Tacke Landpartie 5 Im Norden unterwegs Wismarbucht, Nord-Ostsee-Kanal1356Gasthof zum BärenSwitzerlandRestaurant1357Hotel Storchen ZürichSwitzerlandHotel1363FranziskanerGermanyBrewery1364Löwen-ApothekeGermanyPharmacy1366Stella ArtoisBelgiumBrewery1367H. RüetschiSwitzerlandBell1368Old CrownUnited KingdomRestaurant1368JapanPharmacy1369Torrini FirenzeItalyJewelry1371Wynhus zum BärenSwitzerlandRestaurant1375Al Cappello RossoItalyHotel1378EinbeckerGermanyBrewery1380GastagwirtAustriaHotel1380Roter HahnGermanyHotel1380Erla IronworksGermanyIronworks1383LöwenbräuGermanyBrewery1385AntinoriItalyWine1386RiegeleGermanyBrewery1387Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di MilanoItalyChurch1389Engel-ApothekeSwitzerlandPharmacy1390Goldener AdlerAustriaHotel1390The Olde BellUnited KingdomHotel1392MatsumaeyaJapanSea weed1394Allgäuer BrauhausGermanyBreweryGaby Funk DuMont Bildatlas Reiseführer Allgäu1395NamariichiJapanChemicals家入博信 社寺曼陀羅: 社寺修復塗師覚え書き1396Hotel AdlerSwitzerlandHotel1397Hotel de DraakNetherlandsHotel1397SpatenGermanyBrewery1398SchnuppGermanyRestaurant1399SteinAustriaHotelPatricia Schultz 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, the second edition
1400 to 1499
YearCompanyCurrent locationFieldSources1404Magnani 1404ItalyPaperMagnaniarchivi beni culturali1405Ratskeller BremenGermanyRestaurant1405SchlenkerlaGermanyBrewery1410SchremserAustriaBrewery1411Zum RiesenGermanyRestaurant1412Gasthof zum Goldenen SternenSwitzerlandRestaurant1413Zum StachelGermanyRestaurant1416BianyifangChinaRestaurant1418KroneSwitzerlandHotel1418KrumbadGermanyBaths1418Les Bonnets RougesFranceHotel1419Barbarossa HotelGermanyHotelEva Moser Bodensee: Drei Länder: Kultur und Landschaft zwischen Stein am Rhein, Konstanz und Bregenz1421Kameya MutsuJapanConfectionery1422RaeapteekEstoniaPharmacy1426Mühle StingGermanyMill1428SakuJapanHotel1428Yunushi IchijohJapanHotel1429GablerbräuAustriaRestaurant1430KronenGermanyBrewery1431Bratwurst-RösleinGermanyRestaurant1434LodenwalkerAustriaClothing1435Schloss SommerhausenGermanyWine1435Hecht Am SeeSwitzerlandRestaurant1436WernesgrünerGermanyBrewery1437MoserhofAustriaHotel1438AndechsGermanyRestaurant1438Camuffo di PortogruaroItalyBoat building1439WeidenederGermanyBrewery1439Zum Goldenen AnkerGermanyHotel1441–1450Grafelijke KorenmolenNetherlandsMill1446Rother OchsenSwitzerlandWine bar1447GriechenbeislAustriaRestaurant1447Hotel KroneAustriaHotel1447ZötlerGermanyBrewery1455Klosterbrauerei AndechsGermanyBrewery1457 Doesburgsche Mosterd- en AzijnfabriekNetherlandsMustard factory1458Zum SchwanGermanyHotel1461Friedels KellerGermanyBrewery1461Hotel LilieItalyHotel1461JapanConfectionery1462EckGermanyBrewery1462SenkiyaJapanTea1463GeskaSwitzerlandCheese1465Weingut GeierslayGermanyWine1465OwariyaJapanRestaurant1466Berg BrauereiGermanyBrewery1466Gallet & Co.SwitzerlandClock1467InoueJapanTea1470Jean RozeFranceTextiles1470MazloFranceJeweler1472Bad OsterfingenSwitzerlandRestaurant1472HirschgasseGermanyHotel1472Banca Monte dei Paschi di SienaItalyBank1473Banca del Monte di BolognaItalyBank1473Gebrüder WeissAustriaTransport1473SteigerSlovakiaBrewery1474KindliSwitzerlandHotel1475La RochereFranceGlass1476PfahnlAustriaMill1477HirzingerGermanyHotel1477Ratskeller ErfurtGermanyRestaurant1477Mizuta GyokuundoJapanConfectionery1478WarkaPolandBrewery1479Cassa di Risparmio di SavonaItalyBank1480 Khan Al Saboun Lebanon Soaps1482Isabellenhütte HeuslerGermanyIndustry1483Zur SonneSwitzerlandRestaurant1485KroneGermanyRestaurant1487HiraizumiJapanSake1488Rathbornes CandlesIrelandCandles1488Banca Monte ParmaItalyBank1488SchwabeSwitzerlandPublisher1489Banca del Monte di LuccaItalyBank1491SommerhuberAustriaCeramics1492Stieglbrauerei zu SalzburgAustriaBrewery1492HofmühlGermanyBrewery1492HaeberleinGermanyBakeryStefan Lecher Meinen lieben Eltern1493Bürgerbräu Bad ReichenhallGermanyBrewery1495Baronnie de CousserguesFranceWine1497Raventós i BlancSpainWine1498Goldenes PosthornGermanyRestaurant1498The Shore Porters SocietyUnited KingdomTransport1499U FlekůCzech RepublicBrewery
1500 to 1599