In 1941, a 19-year-old Korean chemistry student named Shin Kyuk-ho traveled to Tokyo to study at a technical college. He remained in Japan following the war and, under the name Takeo Shigemitsu, founded Lotte Co. in 1948. The brand¡¯s name was inspired by Charlotte, the heroine of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe¡¯s autobiographical novel, ¡°The Sorrows of Young Werther.¡±
This year, Lotte ¡ª now the world¡¯s third largest producer of chewing gum ¡ª celebrates its 70th anniversary. A major international conglomerate with confections and other food products, hotels, recreational businesses and more, Lotte struggled in its early days and was anything but an overnight success.
¡°In 1948, the year of Lotte¡¯s founding, Japan had between 200 to 300 gum makers, so we were something of a latecomer,¡± Tetsuya Seki, vice-director of the company¡¯s central laboratory, tells Weekly Playboy (Feb. 26). He went on to explain that the company¡¯s first major success was ´Ú¨±²õ±ð²Ô (bubble) gum.
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