Morinaga 森永製菓

Taichiro Morinaga returned to Japan in 1899 after years spent learning Western confectionery techniques in the United States, and opened a small candy shop in Akasaka, Tokyo, with partner Hanzaburo Matsuzaki. The business was incorporated as Morinaga & Co. in 1912, and its pocket-sized Milk Caramel, launched in the following years, became an enormous nationwide hit by the 1910s for its convenient packaging and rich milk flavor.

Morinaga went on to pioneer bean-to-bar chocolate production in Japan, importing production equipment and foreign technicians to begin domestic milk chocolate sales in 1918, at a time when chocolate was still largely an imported luxury. The company is regarded as Japan's first modern confectionery maker and remains known today for chocolate, caramel, and biscuit products sold nationwide.