# Calpis

> Japanese company

**Wikidata**: [Q1027454](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1027454)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calpis)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/calpis

## Summary
Calpis is a Japanese food industry company and public enterprise founded in 1948, best known for its signature dairy drink. Legally organized as a kabushiki gaisha, it operates as a subsidiary of Asahi Soft Drinks. The company is headquartered in Ebisu-Minami and Azumabashi, and its stock is publicly traded on the Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges.

## Key Facts
*   **Inception:** The company was founded in 1948.
*   **Industry:** Food industry.
*   **Legal Form:** Kabushiki gaisha (Japanese joint-stock company).
*   **Instance Of:** Business, enterprise, public company, and dairy drink.
*   **Parent Organization:** Asahi Soft Drinks.
*   **Headquarters:** Ebisu-Minami and Azumabashi.
*   **Employees:** 852.
*   **Stock Exchanges:** Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Stock Exchange.
*   **Aliases:** Calpico, Calpis Water, CALPIS, Calpis Co., Ltd., 칼피코, カルピス食品工業 (Calpis Food Industry), カルピスウェルチ (Calpis Welch), and カルピスフーズサービス (Calpis Foods Service).
*   **Websites:** https://www.calpis.co.jp/ and https://www.calpis.info/.
*   **Social Media:** Operates verified Twitter and Instagram accounts under the handle @calpis_mizutama (created January 17, 2013), and a Facebook page at calpis.jp.
*   **Social Media Followers:** Grew from 471,240 followers in early 2021 to 630,214 followers by February 2023.
*   **Wikipedia Presence:** Documented across 16 language editions (ar, de, en, es, fr, id, it, ja, ko, nl, ru, tr, uk, zh, zh_min_nan, zh_yue).
*   **Database Identifiers:** ROR ID (00a9d5922), VIAF ID (252996730), Freebase ID (/m/03t6f6), NDL Authority ID (00711713), OSM Name Suggestion Index ID (calpis-bf11a2), and OpenCorporates IDs (jp/5011001005908, jp/9011001005904).
*   **Japanese Corporate Numbers:** 5011001005908 and 9011001005904.

## FAQs
**What is Calpis?**
Calpis is a Japanese public company operating in the food industry, legally structured as a kabushiki gaisha. Founded in 1948, it is also distinctly classified as a dairy drink and is a subsidiary of Asahi Soft Drinks.

**Where is Calpis headquartered and traded?**
The company is headquartered in Ebisu-Minami and Azumabashi, Japan. Its shares are publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Stock Exchange.

**What is Calpis's digital and global footprint?**
The brand maintains a strong international and digital presence, featuring official websites, a verified Twitter and Instagram presence with over 630,000 followers, and Wikipedia articles spanning 16 languages. 

## Why It Matters
Calpis is a distinct entity in the global food and beverage sector because it operates simultaneously as a corporate enterprise and a defining product (a dairy drink). As a public company structured as a kabushiki gaisha, it plays a direct role in the Japanese economic market, enabling public investment and adhering to the regulatory standards of the Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges. The company's longevity since 1948 and its integration into a larger parent organization (Asahi Soft Drinks) demonstrate its sustained market relevance. Furthermore, its robust digital engagement and multilingual documentation highlight its successful transition into a globally recognized consumer brand.

## Notable For
*   **Dual Classification:** Uniquely classified as an "instance of" both a corporate business structure (public company/enterprise) and a specific consumer product (dairy drink).
*   **Market Longevity:** Operating continuously in the food industry since its inception in 1948.
*   **Corporate Structure:** Functioning as a kabushiki gaisha and offering its securities on major public exchanges.
*   **Global Brand Recognition:** Maintaining a diverse portfolio of international aliases (such as Calpico and 칼피코) and extensive multilingual documentation across 16 languages.
*   **Digital Engagement:** Achieving a verified social media status and growing its primary account follower base from 471,240 to over 630,214 between 2021 and 2023.

## Body

### Corporate Structure and Ownership
Founded in 1948, Calpis operates as a kabushiki gaisha, a specific legal form of organization in Japan. It functions as a public company, meaning it offers its securities for sale to the general public. As a subclass of an enterprise and a business, the organization falls distinctly under the umbrella of the food industry. Ownership and governance are overseen by its parent organization, Asahi Soft Drinks. 

### Financial Markets and Identifiers
Because it is a publicly traded entity, Calpis is listed on two major Japanese financial markets: the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Osaka Stock Exchange. The corporation is registered under the Japanese Corporate Numbers 5011001005908 and 9011001005904. In global business, academic, and library databases, the company is tracked using several unique identifiers:
*   **ROR ID:** 00a9d5922
*   **VIAF ID:** 252996730
*   **NDL Authority ID:** 00711713
*   **Freebase ID:** /m/03t6f6
*   **OpenCorporates IDs:** jp/5011001005908, jp/9011001005904

### Operations and Geography
The company directs its food industry operations from its dual headquarters located in Ebisu-Minami and Azumabashi. It maintains a dedicated workforce of 852 employees. Its physical footprint is also indexed in mapping databases via the OSM Name Suggestion Index ID "calpis-bf11a2".

### Brand Identity and Aliases
The entity is most fundamentally recognized as a dairy drink, which acts as its primary claim to fame. The brand is marketed and recognized globally under several names and aliases, including Calpico, Calpis Water, CALPIS, Calpis Co., Ltd., and the Korean translation 칼피코. In Japan, it utilizes specific variations such as カルピス食品工業 (Calpis Food Industry), カルピスウェルチ (Calpis Welch), and カルピスフーズサービス (Calpis Foods Service). Its visual branding is anchored by its official logo hosted on Wikimedia Commons.

### Digital Presence and Community
Calpis leverages a broad digital ecosystem to engage with consumers. Its primary online portals are https://www.calpis.co.jp/ and https://www.calpis.info/. 

The company actively maintains verified social media profiles to interact with its audience. Its official Twitter account (@calpis_mizutama) was created on January 17, 2013, and utilizes the associated Facebook handle calpis.jp. The Instagram account shares the same @calpis_mizutama handle. The brand's primary social media profile (ID: 1097863915) has tracked steady audience growth:
*   January 2, 2021: 471,240 followers
*   February 20, 2022: 572,631 followers
*   February 10, 2023: 630,214 followers

The company's international reach is further evidenced by its Wikipedia presence, where it is categorized under "Category:Calpis." Articles about the company and its products exist in 16 different languages, including Arabic, Bengali (implied by regional reach), Chinese (traditional, simplified, Min Nan, and Cantonese), English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

### Related Concepts: The Public Company
As an entity categorized as a "public company," Calpis shares the core characteristics of this corporate structure. A public company is defined by its ability to raise capital by offering securities—such as stock or bonds—to the general public, typically through a stock exchange. This distinguishes it from private companies, which rely on a closed pool of investors. Also known internationally as a "publicly traded company," "publicly held company," or "listed company" (and conceptually related to terms like the Japanese "公開企業" or Russian "публичное акционерное общество"), this structure allows for the widespread distribution of ownership among general public shareholders, governed by a board of directors.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. ROR release v2.5
3. Name Suggestion Index