Overview
Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japan-based group whose businesses span alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, pharmaceuticals, and health science products. Its beer-brewing heritage dates to the establishment of Japan Brewery in 1885; Kirin Brewery was established in 1907. The group operates internationally, with beverage and health-related businesses in markets including Japan, Oceania, Asia and North America.[1][2]
Kirin states that its mission is to bring joy to society through food and healthcare products informed by nature and consumer insights. For the year ended December 2025, it reported consolidated revenue of approximately ¥2.43 trillion and 31,144 employees.[3][1] [1][2][3]
Products & services
Kirin Holdings’ alcoholic-beverage products include KIRIN ICHIBAN, a 100% malt beer made using first-press wort; the SPRING VALLEY craft-beer range; Hyoketsu ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages; and Four Roses bourbon. Hyoketsu’s lemon expression in New Zealand is a vodka soda made with frozen natural lemon juice, while Four Roses uses two mash bills and five yeast strains to produce ten bourbon recipes. Formulations vary by market.[4][5][6][7]
Its non-alcoholic products include Gogo no Kocha tea, Nama-cha green tea and iMUSE functional beverages. The health-science portfolio also includes FANCL skincare and supplements, Blackmores nutritional supplements, and products containing Kirin’s proprietary LC-Plasma postbiotic. Kirin markets LC-Plasma-containing foods and drinks for maintaining immune function in healthy people, not for treating disease.[8][9][10]
Through Kyowa Kirin, the group offers prescription medicines including Crysvita (burosumab), an antibody that blocks FGF23 and is approved in the United States for specified forms of phosphate-wasting disease, and Poteligeo (mogamulizumab), an anti-CCR4 treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome. In 2024, alcoholic beverages accounted for approximately 46% of group revenue, non-alcoholic beverages 24%, pharmaceuticals 21% and health science 7.5%.[11][12][13] [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Geographic presence
Kirin Holdings is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Its operations extend across Japan, Oceania, the Americas and other parts of Asia. In Japan, the group operates beverage businesses; Lion operates in Australia and New Zealand, while Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast operates in the United States. Blackmores, part of Kirin’s health-science business, is based in Australia and operates in Southeast Asia and other markets.[1][14][15] [1][14][15]
Business segments
Kirin Holdings reports four business segments: Alcoholic Beverages, Non-alcoholic Beverages, Pharmaceuticals and Health Science. In FY2024, their approximate shares of consolidated revenue were 46%, 24%, 21% and 7%, respectively; other activities accounted for about 1%. These shares use revenue from external customers, rather than sales between group businesses.[16][17]
Alcoholic Beverages covers Kirin Brewery’s production and sale of alcoholic drinks in Japan and Lion’s beer and other alcoholic-drink operations, principally in Oceania. Non-alcoholic Beverages comprises Kirin Beverage’s soft drinks in Japan and Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast’s U.S. operations. Pharmaceuticals consists primarily of Kyowa Kirin’s medicines business in Japan and overseas. Health Science includes nutritional supplements and other health-related products, notably those of Blackmores and FANCL, as well as Kyowa Hakko Bio’s ingredients and amino-acid businesses.[18][19][20][21] [16][17][18][19][20][21]
Company history
Kirin’s origins date to 1885, when Japan Brewery Co. was established in Japan. It introduced Kirin Beer in 1888, and Kirin Brewery Co. was established in 1907 to succeed its business. Kirin later expanded beyond beer: it entered the whisky business through Kirin-Seagram in 1972 and launched Kirin Ichiban in 1990.[22][23][24]
In 2007, Kirin Brewery changed its name to Kirin Holdings and adopted a holding-company structure. The group broadened its pharmaceutical activities through the 2008 integration of Kirin Pharma and Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, and expanded internationally by completing its acquisition of Australian brewer Lion Nathan in 2009. It later expanded its health-related businesses, acquiring Australian supplements company Blackmores in 2023 and completing its acquisition of Japanese cosmetics and supplements company FANCL in 2024.[1][25][26][27][28] [22][23][24][1][25][26][27][28]
Sources
- www.kirinholdings.com[1]
- www.kirinholdings.com[2]
- www.kirinholdings.com[3]
- www.kirinichiban.com[4]
- www.kirinholdings.com[5]
- www.kirinhyoketsu.co.nz[6]
- www.fourrosesbourbon.com[7]
- www.kirinholdings.com[8]
- www.kirinholdings.com[9]
- www.kirinholdings.com[10]
- www.kkna.kyowakirin.com[11]
- www.kkna.kyowakirin.com[12]
- www.kirinholdings.com[13]
- www.kirinholdings.com[14]
- pdf.irpocket.com[15]
- Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. — Press release (2024 Y)
- www.kirinholdings.com[22]
- www.kirinholdings.com[23]
- www.kirinholdings.com[24]
- www.kyowakirin.com[25]
- www.kirinholdings.com[26]
- www.kirinholdings.com[27]
- www.kirinholdings.com[28]
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