Kagome
Japanese food and beverage company best known for tomato products and vegetable juices.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Kagome is a Japanese food and beverage company whose business centers on tomatoes, vegetables, fruit, and products made from them. Its portfolio includes tomato ketchup, tomato juice, vegetable and fruit-vegetable juices, sauces, prepared foods, and food-service ingredients. The company is particularly associated with Yasai Seikatsu 100, a vegetable-juice brand introduced in 1995, and with its longstanding position in Japan's tomato-ketchup and tomato-juice markets. The company's origins trace to 1899, when Ichitaro Kanie began cultivating tomatoes in Japan. Kagome's own corporate history identifies this activity as an early milestone in the domestic cultivation of tomatoes. Kanie later moved into processed tomato products, including ketchup and Worcester sauce, while tomato juice was added to the commercial range in 1933. The Kagome trademark was registered in 1917, providing the basis for the identity used by the business today. The corporate structure developed over several decades. Aichi Tomato Co., Ltd. was incorporated in 1949, and the company adopted the Kagome name in 1963. It was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1978. From the late twentieth century onward, Kagome broadened its activities beyond traditional tomato processing into vegetable beverages, health-oriented foods, food-service products, biotechnology-related applications, and international operations. The business has used both subsidiaries and strategic investments to expand outside Japan, including activities in Asia, North America, and Europe. Kagome's brand positioning combines everyday food familiarity with nutrition and wellness. Tomato ketchup and sauces are household staples, while vegetable juices are marketed as convenient ways to consume vegetables and related nutrients. The company also maintains upstream relationships with growers and has cultivated tomatoes in Japan through greenhouse and market-garden production. This agricultural connection supports its emphasis on ingredients, traceability, cultivation knowledge, and research into tomatoes and vegetables. The company has also pursued partnerships. Since 2007, Kagome and Asahi Breweries have collaborated on low-alcohol fruit and vegetable beverages. Kagome formed a United States subsidiary in 1998 and subsequently developed overseas subsidiaries, minority interests, and commercial alliances, including a strategic relationship with H. J. Heinz. It also acquired a Japanese business specializing in vegetable lactic acid bacteria, subsequently operated as Kagome Labio Co., Ltd. Today, Kagome remains an active listed Japanese food manufacturer and distributor. Japan is its principal market, while its products, ingredients, subsidiaries, affiliates, and partnerships give it an international presence. Its identity is still anchored in tomatoes and vegetable beverages, but the broader business spans consumer packaged foods, drinks, food-service supply, agricultural production, and selected research-driven health applications.
History
Kagome's history begins in 1899, when Ichitaro Kanie started growing tomatoes in Japan. Tomato cultivation was not yet an established large-scale domestic industry, and Kagome later described Kanie's work as among the country's earliest tomato-growing efforts. The business gradually moved from agricultural production toward processing and branded food products. Kanie began making tomato ketchup and Worcester sauce, establishing the basic connection between the company and tomato-based condiments that continues to define Kagome. The Kagome trademark was registered in 1917. This gave the company a durable commercial identity before the modern corporate entity was established. Tomato juice was added to the product range in 1933, extending the business from sauces into beverages. The change was important because it created a second major product platform: processed tomato drinks that could be consumed directly rather than used as cooking or table condiments. Aichi Tomato Co., Ltd. was incorporated in 1949. In 1963, the company changed its name to Kagome Co., Ltd., formalizing the brand name as the corporate name. The company continued to build a position in tomato-based foods and beverages, eventually describing itself as Japan's leading or largest supplier in important categories such as tomato ketchup and tomato juice. Its activities also included tomato cultivation through greenhouses and market gardens, allowing it to retain links with farming, ingredient sourcing, and production research. Kagome became a publicly traded company in 1978 through a Tokyo Stock Exchange listing. Public-company status supported the development of a wider branded food business and later international expansion. A major diversification step came in 1995 with the introduction of Yasai Seikatsu 100, a vegetable-juice brand that became one of Kagome's core consumer offerings. The line helped shift the company's image beyond tomato processing and toward convenient nutrition, vegetables, and wellness-oriented beverages. International development accelerated in the late 1990s. Kagome incorporated a United States subsidiary in 1998 and subsequently developed subsidiaries and minority investments in Asia, North America, and Europe. It also established a strategic alliance with H. J. Heinz, linking Kagome's tomato expertise with a major international food company. Overseas activity enabled Kagome to participate in local markets, supply chains, and food-service relationships while retaining its Japanese brand base. The company expanded into related scientific and health-oriented fields as well. Kagome acquired Yukijirushi Labio Co., Ltd., a Japanese company specializing in vegetable lactic acid bacteria. The acquired business became Kagome Labio Co., Ltd., extending Kagome's activities into microorganisms and functional food-related research. This development complemented the company's broader interest in the nutritional and biological properties of tomatoes and vegetables. In 2007, Kagome began working with Asahi Breweries on low-alcohol fruit and vegetable beverages. The partnership represented an attempt to combine Kagome's ingredient and vegetable expertise with a beverage and alcohol distribution platform. In 2008, Yum! Brands awarded Kagome its Asia Franchise STAR, an acknowledgment connected with Kagome's relationship to the international restaurant group and its role as a supplier or partner in the Asian food-service environment. Kagome remains active as a listed Japanese food manufacturer and distributor. Its modern business covers household condiments and juices, food-service products, agriculture, international subsidiaries and affiliates, and selected biotechnology-related activities. Although the portfolio has broadened, the company's historical continuity is clear: tomato cultivation led to tomato processing, processing led to branded sauces and juices, and those foundations supported expansion into vegetable beverages, health-oriented products, and international food operations.
- 2008
Yum! Brands Asia Franchise STAR award
[1]Yum! Brands gives Kagome its Asia Franchise STAR award.
- 2007
Partnership with Asahi Breweries
[1]Kagome begins collaborating with Asahi Breweries on low-alcohol fruit and vegetable drinks.
- 1998
United States subsidiary incorporated
[1]Kagome incorporates a U.S. subsidiary as part of its international development.
- 1995
Yasai Seikatsu 100 introduced
[1]Kagome introduces Yasai Seikatsu 100, which becomes a central vegetable-juice brand.
- 1978
Tokyo Stock Exchange listing
[1]Kagome gains a listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
- 1963
Company adopts the Kagome name
[1]Aichi Tomato changes its corporate name to Kagome Co., Ltd.
- 1949
Aichi Tomato Co., Ltd. incorporated
[1]Aichi Tomato Co., Ltd. is incorporated as the formal company preceding the later Kagome corporate name.
- 1933
Tomato juice enters the product range
[1]Kagome begins selling tomato juice, broadening its tomato business from sauces into packaged beverages.
- 1917
Kagome trademark registered
[1]The Kagome trademark is registered, giving the developing business the brand identity used in its later corporate history.
- 1899
Ichitaro Kanie begins cultivating tomatoes
[1]Ichitaro Kanie starts tomato cultivation in Japan, establishing the agricultural origin of the business that later becomes Kagome.
Products and positioning
A health-oriented Japanese food and beverage company built around tomatoes, vegetables, fruit, nutrition, and convenient everyday consumption.
Vegetable and fruit-vegetable juice · 1995
Yasai Seikatsu 100
Introduced in 1995, Yasai Seikatsu 100 is Kagome's principal vegetable-juice brand and one of the clearest expressions of its nutrition-focused positioning. The range connects vegetable consumption with convenience by offering processed drinks for everyday use. It helped broaden Kagome's identity beyond tomato ketchup and tomato juice into a wider vegetable and wellness beverage business.
Condiment
Kagome tomato ketchup
Tomato ketchup is one of Kagome's foundational product categories. The company traces its processing heritage to ketchup production after Ichitaro Kanie began cultivating tomatoes. Kagome has identified itself as Japan's largest supplier of tomato ketchup, and the product remains a core household and food-service offering.
Juice · 1933
Kagome tomato juice
Kagome's tomato juice business dates to 1933, when tomato juice was added to the company's commercial range. It transformed the tomato from a cooking and condiment ingredient into a ready-to-drink product and became one of the company's signature beverage categories in Japan.
Sauces and condiments
Kagome sauces
Kagome produces tomato-based sauces and other condiments, including the Worcester sauce associated with its early processing history. These products extend the company's tomato expertise into cooking, table use, and food-service applications.
Food-service products
Kagome food-service ingredients
Kagome supplies tomato and vegetable ingredients for professional food-service use. This business supports restaurants and other commercial customers and complements the company's consumer products, agricultural sourcing, and international partnerships.
Functional food and biotechnology
Kagome Labio products and research
Following the acquisition of Yukijirushi Labio, Kagome operated the business as Kagome Labio Co., Ltd. Its activities relate to vegetable lactic acid bacteria and extend Kagome's capabilities into functional-food and biological research connected with vegetables and nutrition.
Brand decisions
2007
Collaboration on low-alcohol fruit and vegetable drinksProduct launchBackground
Kagome's vegetable and fruit ingredient capabilities could be combined with Asahi Breweries' beverage expertise and distribution.
Action taken
Kagome and Asahi Breweries partnered to develop low-alcohol fruit and vegetable beverages.
Aftermath
The collaboration broadened Kagome's beverage experimentation beyond conventional juices.
1998
Expansion through a United States subsidiaryStrategyBackground
Kagome began developing a more international operating structure beyond its Japanese base.
Action taken
The company incorporated a U.S. subsidiary and later developed subsidiaries and minority interests in several regions.
Aftermath
Kagome expanded its overseas presence across Asia, North America, and Europe.
1995
Launch of Yasai Seikatsu 100Product launchBackground
Kagome sought to build on its tomato and juice expertise while addressing consumer interest in convenient vegetable consumption.
Action taken
The company introduced Yasai Seikatsu 100 as a vegetable-juice brand.
Aftermath
The brand became a core Kagome offering and strengthened the company's health and nutrition positioning.
Recent events
Kagome unveils Tomatan wearable tomato machine[3]
Reported:
Kagome unveiled Tomatan, a wearable tomato machine described as a backpack that can be loaded with six mid-sized tomatoes.
Sources3 sources
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