is a Japanese bakery based in Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first company of the Andersen Institute of Bread and Life group of companies.

History

The original bakery was founded in Hijiyama-Hon-machi, Hiroshima by Mr. and Mrs. Takaki in August 1948. was established in December 1951. Bread of Takaki began to operate their new bread factory in Senogawa, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture in March 1961. In 1962 the bakery was renamed "Takaki Bakery". They opened a restaurant and bakery called "Andersen" in a building bought from

Mitsui Bank was a major Japanese bank from 1876 to 1990. It merged with Taiyo Kobe Bank to form Mitsui Taiyo Kobe Bank (MTKB), which was renamed The Sakura Bank in April 1992. Sakura Bank is now part of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). History T ...

in Hiroshima in October 1967. The bank building, built in 1925, had been damaged by the atomic bomb blast during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In April 1970 they began to operate a frozen bread factory, and later that year opened another shop called "Aoyama-Andersen" in Aoyama, Tokyo The business eventually expanded to operate shops throughout the Kantō region. "Hiroshima-Andersen" was visited by

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

in April 1981 and by Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark in November 1987. The company operates a restaurant and bakery in San Mateo,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, opened in 1981, and two bakeries in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, one of which is located in the famous

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli, is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klam ...

Andersen Group

The Andersen Group, formally known as , was officially formed in 2003 as a

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

. In addition to Takaki Bakery, the group operates shops under the names Hiroshima Andersen, Aoyama Andersen, ANDERSEN, M's bakery, and bread & hygge. As of 2006, Andersen Group employed 2,428 persons. The US branch of Andersen Bakery is located in Hayward, California.

Origin of name and link to Denmark

The "Andersen" in the companies title (Andersen Bakery/Institute of Bread and Life Co., Ltd.) is in reference to Hans Christian Andersen. The inspiration for making Danish pastries, and 'European style' bread, came from a study trip to Denmark in 1959, by founder Shunsuke Takaki. Seiichi Takaki, president of Andersen Institute of Bread & Life, has further strengthened ties with Denmark by donating 200 Japanese cherry trees to the municipality of

. The trees were planted in

Langelinie Langelinie (English: Long Line) is a pier, promenade and park in central Copenhagen, Denmark, and home of '' The Little Mermaid'' statue. The area has for centuries been a popular destination for excursions and strolls in Copenhagen. Most cruise ...

park.

References

External links

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Andersen Group

Andersen Group video profile (English)
{{Authority control Food manufacturers of Japan Companies based in Hiroshima Companies based in Hayward, California Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area