Andersen Co., Ltd.
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is a Japanese
baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...
y based in
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. 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 is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
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. The home bank of the Mitsui conglomerate, it was one of the largest Japanese banks for much of the 20th century, together with Dai-Ichi Bank, Mitsubishi Bank, Sumitomo Bank, and Yasuda / Fuji Bank. I ...
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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In April 1970 they began to operate a frozen bread factory, and later that year opened another shop called "Aoyama-Andersen" in
Aoyama, Tokyo is a neighborhood in Tokyo, located in the northwest portion of Minato, Tokyo, Minato Ward. The area is known for its international fashion houses, cafes and restaurants. refers to the area on the north side of Aoyama-dori (Aoyama Street) betw ...
The business eventually expanded to operate shops throughout the
Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...
. "Hiroshima-Andersen" was visited by
Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is a member of the Danish royal family who reigned as Queen of Denmark from 14 January 1972 until Abdication of Margrethe II, her abdication on 14 January 2024. Ha ...
in April 1981 and by Frederik, King of Denmark in November 1987. The company operates a restaurant and bakery in San Mateo,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, opened in 1981, and two bakeries in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
,
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
.


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 Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...
. 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 Hayward is a city located in Alameda County, California, United States, in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area, and the third largest in ...
.


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 Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...
. 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
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. 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 and drink companies established in 1948 Japanese companies established in 1948 Food manufacturers of Japan Companies based in Hiroshima Companies based in Hayward, California Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area Bakeries of Japan