A 1916 Tokyo confectionery that grew into Japan's leading chocolate, dairy, and confectionery group
QUICK FACTS
Est. 1916 — best known for chocolate, dairy, and confectionery.
HISTORY
Meiji traces its roots to Tokyo Confectionery Co., founded on October 9, 1916 by Hanji Soma, which began with sugar refining and Western-style confections such as caramels and biscuits. The company soon renamed itself Meiji Seika, while a related dairy business was established in 1917 and later became Meiji Milk Products (Meiji Dairies).
In 1926, Meiji launched its now-iconic Meiji Milk Chocolate bar, helping popularize Western-style chocolate as an everyday product in Japan. The confectionery and dairy sides of the business operated separately for decades before merging in 2009 under holding company Meiji Holdings, which today ranks among Japan's largest food companies, known for chocolate, yogurt, and dairy products.
PRODUCTS
Launched in 1926, one of Japan's earliest mass-market chocolate bars
Long-running plain yogurt brand named after Bulgarian yogurt culture
Mushroom-shaped chocolate and biscuit snack, a long-running bestseller
TIMELINE
This page is compiled from publicly available company history and is provided for general reference only. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, please consult the brand's official website.