Top 10 Oldest Companies in the World

Oldest Companies in the World — Businesses have been a thriving and survival means for a very long time and yes, businesses have been part of human lives right from the start. Buying and selling are a part of human existence that can never be out ruled. Despite all of these, there are businesses that have their birth date, nurturing period, growth stage, and death stage (which is very normal). But one thing that is spectacular is some businesses have managed to keep thriving right from their founding centuries ago, while some also thrived for a very long time before they finally died.

Business owners would attest to the fact that keeping a business alive is no child’s play and these businesses that have managed to survive deserves to be applauded. To kill your curiosity, RNN has compiled a list of the top 10 oldest companies in the world, the years they were founded and other interesting information.

However, some of the types of companies that have made this list deal in wineries, construction, mint, hotel services, and so on. Don’t forget, as earlier stated, some of these companies are still existing while some are not, or have become subsidiaries of other companies. But they have made the list because they existed for over a hundred years or more. Let’s get to it.

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Oldest Companies in the World

1. Kongō Gumi, Japan – Construction Company (578)

Oldest Company in the World – Kongō Gumi

Kongō Gumi Co., Ltd is a Japanese construction company headquartered in Osaka. Initially, the company was a family-owned company until it became a subsidiary of the Takamatsu Construction Group in 2006. However, it is considered the oldest company in the world.

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History

According to history, the Kongō Gumi company was founded in 578 and continued to be in operation through the passing of operation from generation to generation until its difficult time in 2006. There is this tradition that the founder’s descendants lived by and it sincerely helped the company’s successful run for centuries. The tradition was to make the sons-in-law of the family take the family name when they joined the family firm. This tradition truly went a long way in contributing to the long existence of the company as the company continued with the same name throughout its existence. So, the company didn’t have to run out when there were no male descendants in a generation; the line continued through either a son or a daughter.

Over the centuries, Kongō Gumi took part in the construction of several famous buildings, including the 16th-century Osaka Castle. They also had a Buddhist temple construction business which stayed a reliable pillar as a result of millions of Buddhist devotees.

This company was also one of the first construction companies in Japan to have used concrete with wood to build temples and they introduced the use of CAD for temple design.

As earlier mentioned, the company went into liquidation in January 2006, was bought by the Takamatsu Construction Group, and continued to operate as a subsidiary of the Takamatsu Construction Group.

2. Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, Japan – Hotel (705)

The Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is a hot spring hotel located in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan. It was said to be founded by Fujiwara Mahito in the year 705. Therefore, it is considered the oldest hotel company, according to Guinness World Records and also, the second oldest company in the world.

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History

The Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is located at the foot of the Akaishi Mountains and is known for getting all its hot water directly from the local Hakuho Springs. Since it was founded, the company has continuously been operated by 52 generations of the same family (over 1,300 years).

During the period of the company’s early founding, the healing waters of the springs became so popular in Japan that even Takeda Shingen and Tokugawa Ieyasu were part of the onsen’s historic guests.

The hotel was majorly renovated in 1997 but the traditional architectural style of the original onsen was not tampered with. In 2005, the company added private, free-flowing hot spring baths to every room. But between 2000 and 2016, the hotel’s reservations dropped by almost 50% of the usual. The inn’s holding company Yushima established Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan in 2017, transferred control of the inn to this company, and the following year, Yushima was dissolved.

3. Sennen no Yu Koman, Japan – Hotel (717)

Koman is a traditional Japanese Inn located in Kinosaki, Toyooka City, Hyōgo prefecture, Japan.

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History

Koman was founded in 717 by Hiuke Gonnokami. It is the second-oldest hotel in Japan and one of the oldest companies in the world. The descendants of the founder, Hiuke Gonnokami founded local bathhouses in Kinosaki Onsen and the operation of the company passed on for over 46 generations.

In the Meiji era, (1868-1912), Mandara-ya changed the name of the company to Komandaraya but was later renamed the current Sennen no Yu Koman. On the company’s website, the neighbouring Mandarayu Bath (80 meters to the south) is said to be a modern establishment that was opened after the year 1868. And some other sources indicate that it was known as one of Kinisaki’s very first hot springs. Also, the Kinosaki town appearance in several other historical documentations attests that this company was founded in the year 720 (AD).

4. Hōshi Ryokan, Japan – Hotel (718)

Hōshi Ryokan is a Japanese traditional Inn located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan and was founded in the year 718. This company has been in the ownership and management of the Hōshi family for 46 generations. It is known as one of the oldest hotels in the world and also, one of the oldest companies in history.

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5. Genda Shigyō, Japan- Ceremonial Paper Goods (771)

The Genda Shigyō is a Japanese paper production (one of the oldest businesses in the world) company which was founded in 771. This company has produced several ceremonial paper goods such as mizuhiki since its creation and they have kept thriving and evolving. Apart from the company being one of the oldest companies in the world and running one of the oldest businesses in the world, it is also one of the oldest and still existing companies in the world.

In other words, the Genda Shigyō company is still in operation to date.

6. St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, Austria – Restaurant (803)

St. Peter Stiftskulinarium modified to Stiftskeller St. Peter in 2017 is a restaurant within the walls of St. Peter’s Abbey in Salzburg and one of the oldest companies in the world. However, the year stated for its founding is just a speculation as it is believed that the restaurant has been in existence before the year 803. Nonetheless, it is referred to as perhaps the oldest existing restaurant in the world and in Europe. The restaurant business is no doubt one of the oldest in the world.

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7. Staffelter Hof, Germany – Wine (862)

Staffelter Hof is a family-run winery, distillery and guest house located in the small town of Kröv, Bernkastel-Wittlich district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Asides from being one of the oldest companies in the world, it is also one of the oldest and still existing businesses/companies in the world.

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History

The Staffelter Hof moniker originated from a wine-producing abbey and dates back to 862. The first recorded account of the Staffelter Hof abbey is found on an original document that is currently housed in Liège, Belgium’s city archives (Archives de l’État à Liège). Lands from the Carolingian Dynasty (580-876 AD), which extended beyond the location of the present winery and as far as Kröv, were given to the monastery to serve as a source of revenue. These assets belonged to the abbey until the Napoleonic Code was put into place in 1804. After being purchased by Peter Schneiders for 1773 Taler in 1805, the land in Kröv was passed down through 7 generations before being acquired by Jan Matthias Klein, the present winemaker, who took over from his father, Gerd Klein, in 2005.

8. Monnaie de Paris, France – Mint (864)

The Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint) is a government-owned establishment that produces France’s coins. This establishment was founded in 864 with the Edict of Pistres, and it is known as the oldest still-operating minting company. Therefore, it is one of the oldest companies in the world.

In 1973, the company was primarily relocated to a facility in Pessac, but now has the original facility in Paris. This establishment currently primarily functions as a museum and houses a collection of diverse ancient coins whilst still operating as it should. The Monnaie de Paris got its autonomy and was granted legal personality by law no. 2006-1666.

This company employs 500 people as of 2010 in two sites — the Hôtel de la Monnaie in Paris (55% of the workforce) and the monetary establishment in Pessac, in Gironde (45%). In 2019, the company’s income was a sum of 134 million euros for a workforce of 489 employees.

After the Metalmetamorphose (a five-year renovation project), the museum at the Monnaie de Paris – known as the Musée du Conti (11 Conti Museum) was reopened on the 30th of September 2017.

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9. Tanaka-Iga, Japan – Religious Goods (885)

Tanaka-Iga Butsugu is a Japanese company that produces Buddhist goods, as well as butsudan shrines placed in several traditional Japanese homes. This company is one of the oldest companies in the world still operating since its founding in the year 885 (9th century). The company creates intricate and pricey products, and they now use 3-D computer mock-ups of complicated items before manufacture, like the altar and other furniture temples.

History

Tanaka-Iga is regarded as the oldest-selling Buddhist religious items business. It is currently based in the Japanese city of Kyoto at Manjuji Nishinotoin in Shimogyoku, having Masakazu Tanaka as its 70th-generation president.

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10. The Royal Mint, United Kingdom – Mint (886)

The Royal Mint is Britains’s oldest company, the official UK coins maker, and one of the oldest companies in the world. This company is a limited company entirely owned by His Majesty’s Treasury and is under an undivided contract to supply all the country’s coinage and mint circulating coins for the UK and international markets. Also, this company is a leading provider of precious metal products.

History

The Royal Mint was formerly a part of a network of mints that were centralised to create coinage for the Commonwealth countries as well as the Kingdom of England, all of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom.

Prior to moving to what is now known as Royal Mint Court, where it remained until the 1960s, it ran its operations within the Tower of London for several hundred years. The Mint relocated from London to a new 38-acre (15 ha) facility in Llantrisant, Glamorgan, Wales, when Britain decimalized its currency, where it has stayed ever since.

In order to counteract the decline in cash use, The Royal Mint has been developing its operations since 2018. It now offers to invest in precious metals, old coins, and upscale collectables, which helped it generate an operational profit of £12.7 million in 2020–2021.

A new facility being built in South Wales by The Royal Mint to recover valuable metals from electronic waste was announced in 2022. However, the Royal Mint has already begun using the first of this responsibly sourced gold in a new jewellery section called 886, and it even honours the institution’s commemorative foundation year.

Graphical Representation of the Oldest Companies in the World

Oldest Companies in the World

Below is a summary of the list of the oldest companies in the world

• Kongō Gumi, Japan – Construction Company (578 AD)
• Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, Japan – Hotel (705 AD)
• Sennen no Yu Koman, Japan – Hotel (717 AD)
• Hōshi Ryokan, Japan – Hotel (718 AD)
• Genda Shigyō, Japan- Ceremonial Paper Goods (771 AD)
• St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, Austria – Restaurant (803 AD)
• Staffelter Hof, Germany – Wine (862 AD)
• Monnaie de Paris, France – Mint (864 AD)
• Tanaka-Iga, Japan – Religious Goods (885 AD)
• The Royal Mint, United Kingdom – Mint (886 AD)