View source for Glico

{{distinguish|Glicko}}

{{Short description|Japanese multinational food company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.
| native_name = 江崎グリコ株式会社
| native_name_lang = ja
| romanized_name = Ezaki Guriko Kabushiki-gaisha
| logo = Glico logo.svg
| image = Ezaki Glico.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| image_caption = Headquarters in Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| traded_as = {{TYO|2206}}
| foundation = [[Nishi-ku, Osaka|Nishi-ku]], Osaka, Japan ({{Start date and age|1922|2|11|df=y}}){{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2016| p=51}}<ref>The date when Riichi Ezaki started selling his first product "Glico" caramel.  Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. was established in February 1929, but it features February 11, 1922 as Glico group's "foundation date." {{harvnb |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017a| p=55}}</ref>
| founder = {{nihongo|Riichi Ezaki|江崎 利一|Ezaki Riichi}}
| location_city = [[Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka|Nishiyodogawa-ku]], [[Osaka]]
| location_country = Japan
| key_people = {{ill|Katsuhisa Ezaki|jp|江崎勝久}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.glico.com/global/about/data/ |title=Corporate Data |accessdate=2024-01-08 |archive-date=2024-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108095209/https://www.glico.com/global/about/data/ |url-status=live }}</ref> <small>(chairman)</small><br />Etsuro Ezaki <small>(President and CEO)</small>
| industry = Food manufacturing
| revenue = {{increase}} ¥338,437 million<br />US$3,003,531 thousand<br />(112.68 yen/US dollar, March 2016){{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2016| p=12}}
| operating_income = {{increase}} ¥17,110 million<br />US$151,850 thousand<br />(112.68 yen/US dollar, March 2016){{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2016| p=12}}
| net_income = {{decrease}} ¥14,364 million<br />US$127,478 thousand<br />(112.68 yen/US dollar, March 2016){{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2016| p=12}}
| assets = {{decrease}} ¥274,974 million<br />US$2,440,311 thousand<br />(112.68 yen/US dollar, March 2016){{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2016| p=10}}
| equity = {{increase}} ¥179,151 million<br />US$1,589,917 thousand<br />(112.68 yen/US dollar, March 2016){{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2016| p=11}}
| num_employees = 4,961 (consolidated, March 2016){{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017b}}
| products = Confectioneries, ice cream products, processed food
| subsid = Glico Nutrition Co., Ltd.<br />Icreo Co., Ltd.<br />and others{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017a| p=55}}
| homepage = {{url|https://glico.com/global/}}
}}

{{Nihongo|'''Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.'''|江崎グリコ株式会社|Ezaki Guriko Kabushiki-gaisha}}, commonly known as '''Glico''', is a Japanese [[Multinational corporation|multinational]] food processing company headquartered in [[Nishiyodogawa-ku]], [[Osaka]].{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017a| p=55}} It does business across 30 countries, in [[North America]], [[Asia-Pacific]] and [[Europe]].{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017c}}

== Overview ==
Ezaki Glico's primary business is manufacturing [[confectionery]] products such as [[chocolate]], chips, [[chewing gum]]s and [[ice cream]], and [[dairy product]]s.  Additionally, Glico manufactures processed foods, such as curry stocks and [[Retort pouch|retort]] [[takikomi gohan]] pouches, and [[dietary supplement]] products.{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017a| p=37-42}}{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017d}} Glico's main competitors are [[Meiji Seika]], [[Lotte (conglomerate)|Lotte]], [[Morinaga & Company|Morinaga]], [[Fujiya Co.|Fujiya]] and {{ill|Bourbon Company|ja|ブルボン|WD=|vertical-align=sup}} in the confectionery business and [[House Foods]], [[Meiji Dairies|Meiji]] and [[S&B Foods]] in the processed food business.

Ezaki Glico is a member of [[Sanwa Group|Midori Kai]], a group of companies whose main financier was [[Sanwa Bank]] (later merged into the [[Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ]]).{{sfn |Midori Kai|2017}}

===Corporate message===
* "300 meters per piece" (一粒300メートル, 1922–1996, refers to a piece of Asobi Glico caramel containing 300 calories. No longer main corporate motto but still in-use on Asobi Glico caramel packaging.)
* "Good Taste and Good Health" (おいしさと健康, 1971–1992)
* "A Wholesome Life in the Best of Taste" (最高の味わいで、健康的な生活を, 1992–2022, message in Japanese "おいしさと健康" is still in use)
* "Healthier Days, Well Being for life"  (すこやかな毎日、ゆたかな人生, 2022–, )

== History ==

=== In Japan ===
In 1919, Riichi Ezaki created a [[Caramel|caramel candy]] product containing [[glycogen]] extracted from [[oyster]]s. The caramel candy product was named "Glico," a shortening of the word [[glycogen]].{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017e|ps= - Unless otherwise noted, the explanation in this "History" paragraph is based on this website.}} The sales copy for this product was "300 Meters in a Single Piece," and a running man was painted on the package.<ref> A piece of Glico is 15.4 [[calorie|kcal]], enough energy to run exactly 300 meters. (Calculated from a formula stating that a person 165 centimeters in height and weighing 55 kilograms will burn 8.21 kcal running 160 metres in one minute. Over a period of 1.88 minutes, such a person would burn 15.4 kcal running 300 meters.)</ref>{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017a| p=33}} On February 11, 1922, Riichi started selling Glico products at the [[Mitsukoshi]] Osaka branch.

Later, in 1922, Riichi established a company, Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.<ref>Ezaki Glico has been renamed several times. When established in 1929, the company name was Kabushiki-gaisha Ezaki. In 1934, it was renamed to Glico Kabushiki-gaisha and in 1943 it was renamed to Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. In 1949, the company name was changed to Glico Kabushiki-gaisha again and in 1958 it was renamed to the current name.</ref> Its Osaka and Tokyo factories were destroyed during [[World War II]], and they were reopened in 1951. Popular products like [[Pretz]] and [[Pocky]] were introduced in 1963 and 1966, respectively.

In 1984, the [[Glico Morinaga case]], a series of criminal incidents targeting Japanese major food manufacturers, occurred. Ezaki Glico and other victims were targeted by a group known as "The Monster with 21 Faces." The group claimed that $21 million ($2.26 billion yen) worth of sweets was laced with potassium cyanide soda, while Katsuhisa Ezaki([[jp:江崎勝久|jp]]), president and CEO, was kidnapped but escaped by himself. Ezaki Glico was blackmailed and its office was burned by the criminals.

=== Overseas ===
Ezaki Glico has been expanding its business overseas.  At first, in 1932, Ezaki Glico established its factory in [[Dalian]], [[China]]. In 1970, Ezaki Glico started its business in [[Thailand]], establishing Thai Glico Co., Ltd.  Later, in 1982, Generale Biscuit Glico France S.A. was established and started sales of Mikado (Pocky) in [[France]]. Ezaki Glico established Ezaki Glico USA Co., Ltd. in 2003.  Additionally, it established PT Glico Wings (a [[joint venture]] with Wings Corp) in 2013 and PT Glico Indonesia in 2014, both of which are [[Indonesia]]n companies.

==Products==
Ezaki Glico manufactures a wide variety of products. Major products are listed here.{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017a| p=37-42}}<ref>Unless otherwise noted, the explanation in this "Products" paragraph is based on Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. 2017a, pp. 37-42.</ref>

===Confections===
[[File:Pocky custard fondu.jpg|thumb|Pocky custard fondue]]
* [[TCHO]], [[Berkeley, California]]–based artisanal chocolate manufacturer of various chocolate bars.
* Glico, caramel product.  In addition to the standard flavor, there are caramel flavor and crushed almond flavor products.{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017f}} 
* [[Pocky]], chocolate-coated [[pretzel stick]]s, which come in many other flavors. {{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017d}} The total sales from 1966 exceeds 10 billion packages.{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017b}}  In Europe, this product is sold with the "Mikado" brand in partnership with [[Mondelez International]].{{sfn |Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017a| p=33}}
* [[Pretz]], pretzel sticks, which come in many other flavors.
* Almond Chocolate, almonds coated by chocolate.
* Caplico, frosting-dipped waffle biscuits in the shape of ice cream cones that come in either chocolate or strawberry flavor.
* Bisco, wheat germ crackers with yogurt cream using special yeast.
* BREO, an oral care candy that was developed for cleaning the tongue and breath.

===Dairy products===
* Pucchin Pudding, the world's best-selling pudding product.  Its characteristic is a special package with which consumers can efficiently move the contents on a plate.

===Ice cream products===
* Giant Cone, ice cream in a large cone with crisp chocolate and nut toppings.
* Panapp, vanilla ice cream in a handy long cup with fruit sauce fillings in the centre.
* Papico, sherbet that comes in tubes.
* {{nihongo|Ice no Mi|アイスの実}}, bite-sized round ice candies.  Ezaki Glico promoted this product by an extremely realistic CG character, [[Aimi Eguchi]], who was created using facial features from members of the pop girl group, [[AKB48]].{{sfn |Time|2011}}
* Calorie Control Ice Cream series, which uses lower-calorie sweetening agents [[maltitol]] and [[sucralose]] in place of sugar and starch syrup often used in ice cream. [[Tofu]] is also used to replace dairy products to lower the amount of calories.
* Seventeen Ice, a brand of ice cream coming in over 20 different flavors which is only available in [[Vending Machine|vending machines]].

===Processed foods===
* Ni-dan Juku Curry, cubed-type Japanese-style curry stock.
* Donburi-tei, instant [[donburi]] retort pouch product.
[[File:Glico sign.webm|thumb|Glico sign at Dōtonbori]]
* [[Cream stew]] roux.

===Baby formula===
* ICREO Balance Milk, a powdered baby formula manufactured by Icreo Co., Ltd.

==Advertisement==

Ezaki Glico's large LED sign located above [[Dōtonbori]] in Osaka has been a landmark of the city since its initial construction in 1935. It bears the Glico running man on a blue race track, as well as some of Osaka's other landmarks in the background.{{sfn |The Japan Times|2015}} The giant neon sign has been revised on several occasions in order to celebrate events such as the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] and to bolster team spirit for Osaka's baseball team, the [[Hanshin Tigers]].{{sfn |Sankei West|2014}} As the sign is quite well known, it has long been a popular photo stop for tourists as well as locals.

Ezaki Glico was also the main sponsor of the anime series ''[[Tetsujin 28]]'' (1963–1966, the original Japanese version of ''[[Gigantor]]'').{{sfn |Allabout|2005}}

==See also==
* [[Fortunato Catalon]]
* [[Aimi Eguchi]], CGI pop idol created by Glico
* [[Pocky & Pretz Day]], November 11 each year
* [[Panasonic]], Glico's one-time shareholder
* [[Glico Morinaga case]]
* [[Dōtonbori]]
* {{Portal-inline|Companies|size=tiny}}
* {{Portal-inline|Food|size=tiny}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

===Materials===
* {{cite web|title=Annual Report 2016|url=https://www.glico.com/assets/files/annual_2016.pdf|publisher=Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|year=2016|access-date=February 7, 2017|ref={{harvid|Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2016}}|archive-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220141542/https://www.glico.com/assets/files/annual_2016.pdf|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|title=Company brochure|url=https://www.glico.com/assets/files/company.pdf|publisher=Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|year=2017a|access-date=February 7, 2017|ref={{harvid|Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017a}}|archive-date=April 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428043531/https://www.glico.com/assets/files/company.pdf|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|title=Overview (Official Global Website)|url=https://www.glico.com/global/about/overview/|publisher=Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|year=2017b|access-date=February 7, 2017|ref={{harvid|Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017b}}|archive-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710184933/https://www.glico.com/global/about/overview/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|title=Global Locations (Official Global Website)|url=https://www.glico.com/global/location/|publisher=Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|year=2017c|access-date=February 7, 2017|ref={{harvid|Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017c}}|archive-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017041146/https://www.glico.com/global/location/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |title=Products (Official Global Website) |url=https://www.glico.com/global/product/ |publisher=Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. |year=2017d |access-date=February 7, 2017 |archive-date=November 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171123231953/https://www.glico.com/global/product/ |url-status=dead |ref={{harvid|Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017d}}}}
* {{cite web |title=メンバー会社一覧 |url=http://www.midorikai.co.jp/member.html |publisher=Midori Kai |year=2017 |access-date=February 18, 2017 |ref={{harvid|Midori Kai|2017}} |archive-date=June 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620002148/http://www.midorikai.co.jp/member.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web|title=History (Official Global Website)|url=https://www.glico.com/global/about/history/|publisher=Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|year=2017e|access-date=February 7, 2017|ref={{harvid|Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017e}}|archive-date=September 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918122911/https://www.glico.com/global/about/history/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |title=ガム・キャンディー |url=https://www.glico.com/jp/product/gum_candy/ |publisher=Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. |year=2017f |access-date=February 7, 2017 |ref={{harvid|Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd.|2017f}} |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312033423/https://www.glico.com/jp/product/gum_candy/ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |title=Like iconic sign, confectionery giant Glico sets sights on overseas markets |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/09/national/history/like-iconic-sign-confectionery-giant-glico-sets-sights-overseas-markets/#.WJy-zzvhDIU |publisher=The Japan Times |date=August 9, 2015 |access-date=February 7, 2017 |ref={{harvid|The Japan Times|2015}} |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312041007/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/09/national/history/like-iconic-sign-confectionery-giant-glico-sets-sights-overseas-markets/#.WJy-zzvhDIU |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |title=Ｗ杯侍ジャパン、タイガース仕様…いろんな顔持つ５代目も"消灯"新たなシンボルに高まる期待 |url=http://www.sankei.com/west/news/140824/wst1408240021-n1.html |publisher=Sankei West |date=August 24, 2014 |access-date=February 7, 2017 |ref={{harvid|Sankei West|2014}} |archive-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204151633/https://www.sankei.com/west/news/140824/wst1408240021-n1.html |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |title=石川尚のファニチャーワ−ルド的この店この逸品#03 鉄人28号（オマケ・極小の世界） |url=https://allabout.co.jp/gm/gc/40875/ |publisher=Allabout |date=April 2, 2005 |access-date=February 7, 2017 |ref={{harvid|Allabout|2005}} |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312040503/https://allabout.co.jp/gm/gc/40875/ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |title=Japanese Scientists Build a Perfect (and Fake) Pop Star |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/24/japanese-scientists-build-a-perfect-and-fake-pop-star/ |publisher=Time |date=June 24, 2011 |access-date=February 7, 2017 |ref={{harvid|Time|2011}} |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312035924/http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/24/japanese-scientists-build-a-perfect-and-fake-pop-star/ |url-status=live }}
* [https://www.reuters.com/article/business/japans-ezaki-glico-aims-to-conquer-world-with-pocky-stick-snacks-idUSKBN0IQ2ND/ Japan's Ezaki Glico aims to conquer world with Pocky stick snacks] Reuters. November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2024.


==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{in lang|en}} [https://www.glico.com/global/ Glico Global Official Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311062318/https://www.glico.com/global/ |date=2017-03-11 }}
* {{in lang|ja}} [https://www.glico.com/jp/ Ezaki Glico Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310215050/https://www.glico.com/jp/ |date=2017-03-10 }}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Companies based in Osaka Prefecture]]
[[Category:Food and drink companies established in 1929]]
[[Category:Confectionery companies of Japan]]
[[Category:Multinational companies headquartered in Japan]]
[[Category:Multinational food companies]]
[[Category:Japanese brands]]
[[Category:Midori-kai]]
[[Category:Snack food manufacturers of Japan]]
[[Category:Japanese companies established in 1929]]