History

In 1902, Kaiun Mishima, the founder of today’s Calpis Co., Ltd. traveled to mainland China—a land that youths of his generation were drawn to—in search of unlimited possibilities and the realization of dreams. While visiting Mongolia one day, Kaiun had an opportunity to drink the sour milk that the nomads there drank daily; he was amazed by the delicious flavor and invigoration it yielded. His digestion, which had been weakened by the long journey, was restored to normal, and he found that both his body and his mind were refreshed by the power of cultured milk.
In 1915, Kaiun left the business he had actively pursued in China from age 25 to age 38 and returned to Japan to start a new business based on the clues provided by his encounter with cultured milk in Mongolia. In pursuit of health of body and mind, he launched CALPIS, the world’s first lactobacillic drink. For more than 85 years, CALPIS has continued to be loved far and wide. Based on the technology and know-how refined over the years, Calpis continues to provide a wide variety of products and leading microorganism technology.

Origin of the name CALPIS

“Cal” stands for the calcium in milk. “Pis” is the Sanskrit word “salpis”, the second of Five Flavors referred to in Buddhism. Originally, the product was to be called Calpil (from the Sanskrit “salpilmanda”, the best of Five Flavors). Ease of pronunciation won over Calpil, and the product was named CALPIS.

Our first advertisement headline—The Taste of First Love

In 1920, a friend of Kaiun Mishima remarked, “CALPIS is sweet and tangy...like first love.” Kaiun was delighted—first love is pure and beautiful—and a reminder of our dreams, hopes and longings. The phrase debuted in a newspaper advertisement in April 1922 and has been associated with CALPIS exclusively ever since.

Polka-dot packaging says it all—CALPIS is always fresh

CALPIS was first marketed on July 7, 1919. As July 7 is also the date of Japan’s traditional Tanabata Festival, polka-dot wrapping paper was selected because it was suggestive of the Milky Way. A member of the company’s advertising department provided the design. The year was 1922. Initially, the design consisted of white polka-dots on a blue background. In later years, these were reversed. The result: a design that has won praise for excellence in announcing that CALPIS is always refreshing.