Each Country’s Oldest Company: Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli and Affligem Brewery

Several companies in the world have been in existence and fully operating after surviving for over a few centuries. The oldest companies in the world have to be operational for over two centuries to be qualified to fit into the list of the world’s oldest companies. The oldest company in the world has been operational since 578 AD; it is located in Japan in the Osaka region and is a construction company. The companies which have been in operation for many centuries cannot be religious, government or educational institutions to qualify as one of the oldest companies in the world. The oldest companies in the world are all private firms operating since they started their operations.

The Oldest Company of the World

Kongo Gumi is the world’s oldest company that has survived for over a thousand centuries. Kongo Gumi is a construction company specialising in building Buddhist temples. The company first started in 578 AD; its headquarters are in Osaka, Japan. 

Kongo Gumi is one of the oldest companies globally, which didn’t start because of colonisation. Kongo Gumi survived every possible obstacle of being run down to the ground by either colonisers or financial crises throughout the centuries. After merging with a big company, today, Kongo Gumi still specialises in Buddhist temples, and most of its business is supported by the construction of those temples alone.

Almost every country has their own oldest company to exist on the lands of its homeland. A few of the important old companies are listed below.

Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli

Considered to be the oldest foundry globally, Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli is a foundry located in the Angone region of Italy. The foundry has been a family business of the Marinelli family since 1000. Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli specialises in making bells of all kinds, especially for churches. Aside from bells, they also make artefacts for churches, ball restoration stuff, bas reliefs and bronze portals. Today the 26th generation of the Marinelli family is running the business. Still, since the demand for bells has lowered significantly in the current times, the oldest foundry in the world is threatened financially to shut down its operations. 

Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli has produced the new bell for the Leaning Tower of Pisa bell tower. The current bell made by the oldest foundry in the world is a copy of a 17th-century bell damaged during World War II bombings. The bells made by Pontificia Fonderia Marinelli can be seen in many significant parts of the world in their religious buildings like New York, Rome, Jerusalem, Beijing, South Korea and South America.

Affligem Brewery

Affligem Brewery has been going strong since it started its operations in 1079. For nearly a thousand years, Affligem Brewery has been famous for its quality craft beer around Belgium and the world. The secret to the amazing craft beer produced in the Affligem Brewery is the recipe or methods used by the monks who started the brewery almost a thousand years ago. To this day, the company still uses the old manuscripts to refer to making the world-famous beers.

The brewery was a product of six men who abandoned their knighthood for the life of being monks after being tired of the world and its battles. These same six monks were the ones who founded the Affligem Brewery situated northwest of Brussels city in Belgium. 

Munke Molle

Munke Molle or Monks Mill is among the oldest companies globally that are still fully operational. Munke Molle is located in the Odense river of Denmark, which started in 1135. Monks Mill or Munke Molle served as a watermill on the river for the city of Odense. In the current times, the mill produces all sorts of bread and instant cake mixes for the country, but once, the company served quality goods to kings and queens of Denmark. Munke Molle has sold exclusively to at least 38 kings and two queens of Denmark. 

The foundation of Munke Molle was laid by the Benedictine Monks of the country in 1135. The mill ran and specialised in flour production for at least 90 years before the king took over the mill. Still to this day, Munke Molle is known for its flour production. The company’s building has moved from the Odense river to Odense Harbour. A new mill is also located in the USA and is one of the top-selling flours in the states.

Conclusion

It is a great business if the companies established more than a thousand years ago are still working at full capacity and making profits. A few of these companies have been mentioned above, and from their description, you can tell that the life of these companies hasn’t dulled even a bit, and they can operate for more years to come. An excellent example is the oldest company globally, Kongo Gumi of Japan. Aside from the companies mentioned above and firms, over five thousand companies fit the profile of being one of the oldest companies in the world that are still operating.