The Driving Force behind High-Quality, High-Appeal Product Creation
- Repeated trial production and sensory evaluation are conducted to perfect contents.
- Equipment employed in trial beer and happoshu production
- The "freeze-crush infusion" technique that gave birth to -196°C
- The Products Development Center focuses on developing fresh products that surprise and delight customers.
- Conducting tests in search of materials with the desired effect
Research and development is the life source of a manufacturer. This concept can be described as Suntory's starting point, dating back to the Company's foundation. Over the years, we have accumulated technologies and expertise in such areas as the use of microorganism and enzymes, distillation, food-processing and analysis in the process of developing various products, beginning with alcoholic beverages.
Today, we continue to deploy these technologies and expertise to raise a constant challenge to the creation of unprecedented new products. Our success is evidenced by market-leading Suntory products in many beverage categories. Notable examples include Suntory Oolong Tea and BOSS canned coffee.
In recent years, we have produced and introduced such innovative products as The Premium Malt's, a beer with a magnificent aroma and deep, rich flavor attained through the use of refined brewing technologies and carefully selected materials that has won the Grand Gold Medal at the Monde Selection for three consecutive years; IYEMON, a green tea beverage employing a tea leaf pulverizing technology; -196°C, a chu-hi employing a "freeze-crush infusion" (FCI) technique; and Kuro ("black") Oolong Tea, a specified health beverage that suppresses "fat absorption".
In 2004, we adopted "Suntory, Bringing Water to Life" as our corporate message, established the Institute for Water Science to conduct research on water itself and pursued research concerning the development of various products, including natural water. We also completed our Products Development Center in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, a huge consumer market, during the term, and we are currently pursuing product development here that responds even more vibrantly to customer requests.
Suntory has also pursued research in the field of organic chemistry through a foundation and subsidized outside research since 1946 in accordance with our principle of "returning corporate profits to society". These activities reflect our desire to contribute to society by promoting life science research for the common good of all humankind.
Taking up Challenges in Pursuit of Dreams
- Undergoing a test to confirm the effectiveness of sesamin for humans
- The world's first "blue rose" was developed through the application of Suntory's original biotechnology.
In researching technologies related to our raw materials, centered on various plants and microorganisms such as yeast, we have focused particular attention over the years on achieving "good taste". These activities eventually led us to results in new fields, including the discovery of new health materials and health effects, the development of new flower varieties and the creation of a green landscaping business that we have deployed based on pafcal, a new lightweight material that serves as a soil substitute.
Suntory has positioned health as a major theme for the next generation. We are pursuing development of health foods made with original materials such as sesamin and arachidonic acid and promoting research on various aspects of health, including antioxidation and blood flow promotion, at the Institute for Health Care Science we established in March 2001.
We are also applying the technologies we have accumulated over the years to the flower business. We currently handle over 100 garden products. The popular Surfinia, for example, a petunia variety that sparked a gardening boom, has established a place as a staple item in the global flower marketplace. In June 2004, we succeeded in developing the world's first "blue rose" through the application of biotechnology. This rose, the result of 14 years of challenging a dream through research efforts dating back to 1990, is scheduled to be brought to market in 2009.
As these examples illustrate, Suntory is deploying its strengths as a comprehensive beverage and food producer to conduct wide-ranging R&D activities. Moving forward, we will continue to build on our R&D results in various fields with the aims of providing products of even higher quality and making customers' dreams come true.
