The employee and corporate figures above represent Glico’s latest published data, while the sales figure covers the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.3

The history of Glico begins with Riichi Ezaki, who was born in Saga Prefecture in 1882. Prior to establishing the company, Ezaki researched the nutritional properties of glycogen, a substance involved in energy storage within living organisms. In 1919, he confirmed that oyster broth contained substantial amounts of glycogen.4

According to Glico’s official history, a primary motivation for his work stemmed from his son’s illness with typhus. Ezaki associated glycogen-rich food with his son’s recovery and became convinced that diet could play a vital role in enhancing people’s health.5 This conviction led him to develop a nutritious caramel containing glycogen.

The result was Glico Caramel, the product that gave the company its name. It was first test-marketed before being officially sold at Mitsukoshi Department Store in Osaka on February 11, 1922. Glico subsequently adopted February 11 as its founding day.6 Consequently, Glico did not originally begin merely as a confectionery manufacturer; its founding concept was closer to “health through food,” using sweets as a vehicle to deliver nutrition in an appealing form.7

One of the most recognisable elements of the Glico brand is the running man with his arms raised toward the finish line. This image appeared on the company’s packaging from its earliest days, representing a runner crossing the finish line and becoming associated with concepts such as achievement, vitality, health, and victory. The original Glico package combined this runner motif with the company’s red branding and heart-shaped caramel.8

The image eventually transcended packaging to become a symbol of Glico itself. Its most famous real-world manifestation is the enormous Glico running-man sign in Dotonbori, Osaka, which stands as one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.

Glico was innovative not only in food production but also in marketing and product experience. From the outset, Glico Caramel was linked to children’s play. In 1922, the company began including picture cards inside packages. Small toys were introduced later, and by 1929, the packaging had been redesigned to accommodate a small toy at the top of the box.9

This strategy reflected Ezaki’s belief that children’s important activities included both eating and playing. Glico therefore developed an early version of what is now termed experiential marketing: customers were purchasing entertainment alongside candy. The company also experimented with vending machines that incorporated movies, demonstrating how aggressively Glico explored novel forms of advertising and distribution during its formative years.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Glico expanded beyond its original Osaka market, establishing factories and entering overseas markets, including China.10 However, World War II devastated the company. By the end of the war in 1945, Glico’s domestic and overseas facilities had been destroyed, and the company had effectively lost its physical assets.11

Despite this, Glico rebuilt its operations. After the war, it revived products including Bisco and Glico Caramel, subsequently expanding into numerous new categories. Products such as Almond Chocolate, Pretz, Giant Cone, and Pocky became significant additions to its portfolio.12 This rebuilding period transformed Glico from a company centred on a single famous caramel into a diversified food manufacturer.

Glico’s most internationally renowned product is Pocky. Launched in Japan in 1966, 44 years after the original Glico Caramel, it consists of a crisp biscuit stick partially coated with chocolate. The uncoated portion allows the snack to be held without getting chocolate on the fingers.13

The product was designed around a simple yet effective concept:

A chocolate-covered snack that could be eaten cleanly by holding the uncoated end.

The name Pocky is derived from the Japanese onomatopoeic sound “pokkin pokkin,” referring to the crisp snapping sound made when eating it.14 The combination of biscuit, chocolate, convenient shape, clean handling, portable packaging, and distinctive sound gave Pocky a highly recognisable product identity.

Pocky did not become a worldwide brand immediately; Glico internationalised it gradually. Key milestones include:

• 1970 — Thai Glico established, marking a significant step into international markets.
• 1982 — Glico entered France and Europe; Pocky was marketed there under the name MIKADO.
• 1987 — Expansion into Canada.
• 1995 — Shanghai Ezaki Glico Foods established in China.
• 2003 — Ezaki Glico USA established in California.
• 2014 — Glico Indonesia established.
• 2017 — Glico Malaysia established.15

This gradual expansion helped Pocky become one of Japan’s best-known globally exported snack brands. Notably, Pocky has different identities in different markets; in much of Europe, it is sold as MIKADO, while in China the product is known as 百奇 (Bǎiqí).

While Pocky serves as the company’s international icon, Glico’s portfolio extends far beyond this single brand.

Glico Caramel

The original product and namesake of the company, introduced in 1922. It established the fundamental Glico concept of combining confectionery with nutritional positioning.16

Pocky

The company’s best-known global snack. While the basic product is a biscuit stick partly covered in chocolate, Glico has developed numerous flavours and premium versions over the decades.

Pretz

An important Glico snack brand consisting of savoury or flavoured pretzel-like biscuit sticks. Pretz was introduced during the company’s postwar product expansion and remains one of Glico’s long-running products.17

Bisco

A long-running Japanese biscuit product associated particularly with children’s nutrition and everyday snacking. It was among the products Glico revived after World War II.18

Giant Cone

An ice cream product that became part of Glico’s portfolio during the company’s postwar expansion.19

Pucchin Purin

A famous Japanese pudding product introduced during the company’s expansion into desserts in the 1970s.20

Seventeen Ice

Another well-known Glico product from its dessert and ice cream business.21

Although consumers outside Japan may equate Glico primarily with Pocky, the company’s domestic business is substantially broader.

Glico has gradually diversified beyond candy and biscuits. Today, its businesses include:

Health & Food
* Functional foods
* Nutritional products
* Health-oriented food products

Dairy
* Dairy products
* Ice cream and related products

Nutritious confectionery
* Pocky
* Pretz
* Bisco
* Other snacks and confectionery

Food ingredients
* Ingredients and related food technologies

Other businesses
* Additional food-related activities in Japan and overseas22

This diversification is essential to understanding modern Glico, which is more accurately described as a Japanese food and nutrition group than simply a candy manufacturer.

Glico’s corporate philosophy is:

“A Wholesome Life in the Best of Taste”

This philosophy combines two ideas present throughout the company’s history:

Health / wholesomeness
Food should contribute positively to people’s lives.

Taste / enjoyment
Healthy or nutritious food should also be enjoyable.

This combination traces back to Riichi Ezaki’s original vision of using food to contribute to public health.23 In 2022, marking Glico’s 100th anniversary, the group introduced a new purpose:

“Healthier days, Wellbeing for Life.”

Glico describes this as an evolution of its long-standing commitment to health.24

Innovation has historically been central to Glico’s identity, manifesting in several forms:

Product innovation

Glico repeatedly creates new flavours, formats, and categories. Pocky exemplifies this, as the company continued expanding the product line into almond, strawberry, premium, and other varieties following its initial launch.

Packaging innovation

The distinctive red Glico box and Pocky’s red packaging are integral to brand recognition.

Marketing innovation

The company has experimented with toys in packages, picture cards, vending machines, unconventional advertising, and campaigns based on actual consumer usage. For instance, Glico discovered consumers using Pocky as a drink stirrer in cafés and restaurants and leveraged this behaviour in a marketing campaign.25

International adaptation

Rather than simply exporting Japanese products unchanged, Glico adapts brands for local markets. The MIKADO name in Europe and 百奇 in China serve as prime examples.

Pocky has evolved beyond being merely a snack. Its distinctive shape makes it highly recognisable, while the concept of sharing a box has become a key part of its brand positioning. Glico describes Pocky as suitable for both individual consumption and sharing with friends.26

This is reflected in the brand’s long-running message of “Share happiness!” Glico also launched Pocky Day in 2016 to celebrate the product’s 50th anniversary. The date, November 11 (11/11), visually resembles four Pocky sticks, making it particularly appropriate for the brand.

Glico’s international business has expanded significantly over the decades. Its overseas operations cover Asia, Europe, and North America, comprising 19 overseas companies according to its latest corporate overview.

Its 2025 consolidated sales illustrate the geographical scale of the group:

While Japan remains its largest market, China, Southeast Asia, and the United States represent significant international business segments.

As of the latest published corporate information, Glico reports:

• 5,588 consolidated employees
• ¥361.39 billion in consolidated net sales for 2025
• 13 manufacturing facilities
• 8 domestic companies
• 19 overseas companies
• Operations across Japan, Asia, Europe, and North America26

The company’s portfolio now extends far beyond its original caramel. Glico’s modern business can be broadly understood through four themes:

Food + Health + Taste + Innovation

This combination represents the evolution of the idea Riichi Ezaki introduced more than a century ago.

1. Overview | Glico Global Official Site
2. History | Ezaki Glico USA Corporation
3. Annual Report 2025
4. Founder’s ideal | Glico Asia Pacific
5. 沿革 | 〖公式〗江崎グリコ(Glico)
6. Corporate History | Glico Asia Pacific
7. 会社の歴史 | 〖公式〗江崎グリコ(Glico)
8. 公司的历史 | Shanghai Ezaki Glico Foods Co., Ltd.
9. Pocky’s History｜EZAKI GLICO Pocky
10. About Pocky｜EZAKI GLICO Pocky
11. Pocky’s History｜EZAKI GLICO Pocky
12. Ezaki Glico : >> Annual Report 2025 | MarketScreener
13. EZAKI GLICO CO.,LTD. – Annual Report 2025 | FinancialFilings
14. 2206 江崎グリコ | 有報資料 – 有価証券報告書-第120期(2024/01/01-2024/12/31)（2025/03/26 9:16提出） | IRBANK
15. Annual Report | Glico Global Official Site
16. Pocky’s History｜EZAKI GLICO Pocky
17. Locations・Access | Glico Global Official Site
18. Sejarah perusahaan | PT Glico Indonesia
19. アニュアルレポート | 〖公式〗江崎グリコ(Glico)
20. セグメント別売上高の概況 | 〖公式〗江崎グリコ(Glico)
21. IR情報 | 〖公式〗江崎グリコ(Glico)
22. CSR Report | Glico Global Official Site
23. バックナンバー | 〖公式〗江崎グリコ(Glico)
24. 沿革 | Shanghai Ezaki Glico Foods Co., Ltd.
25. 商品的历史 | Shanghai Ezaki Glico Foods Co., Ltd.
26. 江崎グリコ株式会社 – 関係会社の状況(2025年12月期) 有価証券報告書 レポート抜粋 (健全！どんぶり会計β版)