Osotspa Public Company Limited ( th, บริษัท โอสถสภา จำกัด (มหาชน)) is a Thai beverage producer of drinks such as

M-150 M150 or M-150 may refer to: * M150 Penetration Augmented Munition, an explosive device * M150 ACOG, a telescopic rifle sight used by the United States Army * M-150 (Michigan highway), a road in the United States * M-150 (energy drink) M-150 i ...

and ''

Shark Stimulation Shark Energy Drink is an energy drink sold by Osotspa Co., Ltd. of Thailand, which modified the ingredients from the pre-existing M-150 that launched in 1985, five years after it was appointed by Taisho Pharmaceutical with the licensees to manuf ...

''. It is based in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

History

The origins of Osotspa date back to 1891. Founded by Chinese immigrants in Bangkok's Chinatown, the business was originally named Teck Heng Yoo before changing its name to Osotspa after World War II. King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts ...

granted the honorary surname of Osathanugrah, which means "provider of medicine" in Thai, to the founding family after one of their products helped end an outbreak of dysentery in the Thai army. The business is still family-owned. In 1959, King

Rama IX Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

granted a royal warrant to the company, giving it permission to use the royal

Garuda Garuda ( Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garu ...

emblem. In 1965, the company began to import ''

Lipovitan , marketed in some English-speaking countries under the name Libogen and Livita, is an energy drink manufactured by Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. and its licensee Osotspa. Widely available in Asia, it retails in brown-colored translucent 100 ml ...

-D'' ("Lipo") energy drink from Japan's

Taisho Pharmaceutical is a Japanese pharmaceutical company based in Tokyo. History Taisho was established in 1912 as Taisho Seiyakusho to produce over-the-counter drugs. In 1928 the company changed its name to Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and in 1955 moved in ...

Company. Despite being classified as a

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and ...

, it became very popular among working men. Osotspa began to manufacture the product under licence from Taisho Pharmaceutical in 1969. In 1970, ''

'' was launched, which became the most successful product of the company. In 1978, regulations were changed that reclassified pharmaceutical products as food and beverages. This created new opportunities for product development. As a result, ''Magnum'', which contained more

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class. It is mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally as a Nootropic, cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional perfor ...

than Lipovitan-D, was launched in 1980. The market share of Osotspa increased along with total sales, and grew to 100 million bottles by 1989. The

electrolyte An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that is electrically conducting through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Upon ...

drink ''M-Sport'' was launched in 1990, followed by ''Magnum 357'' in 1998. ''SHARK'' energy drink was launched in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in the same year. In 2000, ''SHARK Cool Bite'' was launched, globally under the name ''SHARK Energy''. ''Hang'' was introduced in 2003 as a cure for

hangover A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than 24 hours. Typical sympto ...

s. ''M-150'' was also introduced in

powder A powder is a dry, bulk solid composed of many very fine particles that may flow freely when shaken or tilted. Powders are a special sub-class of granular materials, although the terms ''powder'' and '' granular'' are sometimes used to distin ...

ed form, with sales reaching 10 million

sachet A sachet is a small scented cloth bag filled with herbs, potpourri, or aromatic ingredients.Oster, p. 54 A sachet is also a small porous bag or packet containing a material intended to interact with its atmosphere; for example, desiccants ...

s per month. ''M-Max'' was launched in 2004 and is only sold in Thailand. The following year ''SHARK Up'' and ''SHARK Lite'' were launched. In 2007, ''M-150'' was launched to new markets in Europe and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

. This drink sold over 700 million units per year by 2008. This makes Osotspa the leading energy drink producer in Thailand, and one of the leading in the world. As of 2010, Osotspa has offices in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a p ...

Larnaca Larnaca ( el, Λάρνακα ; tr, Larnaka) is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a metro population of ...

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

Harlow, Essex Harlow is a large town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a new town, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire and London, Harlow occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the upper ...

and

Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay region of the metropolitan area. Torrance has of beachfront on the Pacific O ...

. The company also plans to invest in Burma. The company was listed on the

Stock Exchange of Thailand The Stock Exchange of Thailand ( th, ตลาดหลักทรัพย์แห่งประเทศไทย), or SET, is the only stock exchange in Thailand. Founded on 30 April 1975, it is ASEAN ASEAN ( , ), officially the Asso ...

(SET) in October 2018, helping boost the Osathanugrah family's net worth to $3 billion.Osathanugrah Family
/ref>

References

{{Reflist

External links

Homepage of Osotspa
Food and drink companies of Thailand Manufacturing companies based in Bangkok Thai Royal Warrant holders Companies established in 1891 Companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand