Top 10 Most Successful Companies EVER

For musicians - or just anyone who’s ever seen a drum set - Zildjian’s logo is instantly recognizable. The Avedis Zildjian Company have been manufacturing cymbals, as well as other drum accessories, for four hundred years! Although it’s now based in the US, the company was founded in Constantinople, now Istanbul, in 1623, by Armenian alchemist Avedis Zildjian. His attempts to transform copper into gold failed, but he struck gold in another sense when he created musical metal sheets that didn’t shatter. Today, centuries later, Zildjian remains the largest manufacturer of cymbals in the world.

The world’s oldest continuously operating family business, Kongo Gumi was founded by Korean immigrant Shigemitsu Kongo way, way back in the year 578. Specializing in building Buddhist temples, the 1,400 year-old company has constructed countless beautiful landmarks across Japan, including historic Osaka Castle. The art and style of their buildings is so intricate that it takes a master ten years to fully train an apprentice. Kongo Gumi has thrived in a country with a substantial Buddhist population, but has also adapted when times were tough, even switching to building coffins during World War II. In 2006, they went into liquidation, but continue to operate as a subsidiary of Takamatsu.

#8: Nintendo

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While they’re considerably younger than the likes of Kongo Gumi, Nintendo earns a spot on our list for its relatively long history as a video game company. Unlike their main competitors in the industry, Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo has been in existence for well over a century. Founded in 1889, Nintendo originally produced playing cards. From the 50s onward, Nintendo experimented in various markets, including instant rice and “love hotels”, before they settled on the budding video game industry. The company has gone on to create many of the most iconic video games of all time, including the Mario, Zelda and Pokémon franchises.

Our next entry is another Japanese company with a focus on tradition and excellence. Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan has been run by the same family for an astounding fifty-two generations! Recognized by the GuinnessBook of World Records as the oldest hotel in the world, this hot spring resort has been in operation since 705 AD. Over the centuries the resort has undergone renovations and expansions, and been updated with all the modern amenities. Its natural hot springs, beautiful landscape, superb architecture, and dedicated staff have allowed it to endure for over 1,300 years!

#6: Old Bushmills Distillery

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The area around the Old Bushmills Distillery in Northern Island has a long rich tradition of distillation, which Bushmills honors by printing 1608 on their bottles - the date a local landowner was given a royal license to distill whiskey. Bushmills themselves also have a far-reaching history, and have used water from the same nearby river, Saint Columb's Rill, since the company was founded in 1784. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing; many of the distillery’s original buildings burned down in 1885, and American Prohibition took a massive chunk out of Bushmills’ business in the 1920s. But the company has survived and flourished, remaining in continuous operation for well over a century.

It’s a name that’s become synonymous with prestige and quality. Established in London in 1744, Sotheby’s was originally an auction house for valuable books. In the 19th century, their auctions included Napoleon’s private library from his exiled home on St. Helena. They later expanded into prints, medals, and coins, and eventually to fine art, jewelry, and real estate. From the 1950s onward, they opened new offices around the world, including in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Moscow. Today, Sotheby’s is the largest art business in the entire world, with global sales totaling billions of dollars each year.

Few things are as identifiably British as tea, and no tea is as historic or iconic as Twinings. Thomas Twining founded Great Britain’s first tea room on the Strand in London in 1706, which is still in operation today. Since then, Twinings has become a giant in the industry, with a huge range of products, although it’s perhaps best known for Earl Grey Tea. The company’s adherence to tradition is evidenced by the fact that they’ve used the same simple and elegant logo since 1787. They’ve held a royal warrant for tea since 1837, when Queen Victoria made Twining’s the official supplier of tea for her household.

Founded by Italian gun barrel maker Bartolomeo Beretta in 1526, Beretta is a firearm manufacturing company that’s been privately held by the same family for half a millennia! Established as the Middle Ages were ending, Beretta has experienced vast changes in firearm design and manufacturing, and been responsible for many of the innovations within the industry. Beretta has supplied firearms for police departments, militaries, and civilians and hunters in both past and present. In fact, in 1985, the Beretta M9 became the standard sidearm for the United States Armed Forces.

While today the Hudson’s Bay Company is known as Canada’s premiere retailer, it didn’t start out that way. The oldest North American company in existence, it was incorporated in 1670 with a royal English charter as the mouthful “Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading into Hudson's Bay”. In its early years Hudson’s Bay was first and foremost a fur trading company and operated as a de facto government throughout much of northern Canada around Hudson Bay. The company’s adaptability, expanding into homeware and opening its first retail store in 1881, ensured its survival while competing fur companies faded into oblivion.

#1: The Artois Brewery

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With a long and rich history, and a product still popular around the world, this brewery definitely earned our top spot. In 1717, head brewer Sébastien Artois purchased Den Hoorn Brewery in Leuven, Belgium, renaming it Brouwerij Artois. The brewery had been founded all the way back in 1366 - a heritage commemorated by the horn in Stella’s logo. Stella, meaning “star” in Latin, was at first a seasonal brew named after the Christmas star. The light, refreshing pilsner proved so successful that it was eventually offered year-round. From 1988 onwards, a series of mergers saw Brouwerij Artois become a brand of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The brewery at Leuven still operates today however, and Stella Artois is enjoyed worldwide.