When discussing the oldest brand in the world, the answer depends on a measurement criterion that is rarely specified: are we talking about the oldest company still active, the oldest trade name, or the first legal registration of a trademark? These three definitions produce very different rankings. This article compares these categories and analyzes what distinguishes millennia-old entities from century-old brands in terms of longevity.
Registered trademarks, active companies, and trade names: comparative table
| Category | Example | Reference Date | Particularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oldest company (continuous activity) | Kongō Gumi (Japan) | 578 | Temple construction, absorbed in 2006 but still active |
| Oldest family-run hotel | Hōshi Ryokan (Japan) | 718 | Family management for over 46 generations |
| Oldest vineyard (Europe) | Staffelter Hof (Germany) | 862 | Family structure, uninterrupted production |
| Oldest brewing trade name | Stella Artois (Belgium) | 1366 | Name linked to a brewery whose origins date back to the 14th century |
| Oldest legally registered trademark | Bass Ale (United Kingdom) | 1876 | First official registration under the Trade Marks Registration Act |
This table highlights a gap of over a millennium between the oldest company and the first trademark in the legal sense. The notion of “trademark” only acquired legal status in the 19th century, making any direct comparison misleading without this framework.
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To delve deeper into the history of the oldest brand in the world, it is essential to distinguish the age of the name from that of the legal deposit, two realities that rankings often conflate.
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Longevity of Japanese brands: family structures and transmission
Japan has a remarkable proportion of millennia-old companies. Kongō Gumi, founded in 578, has built Buddhist temples for over fourteen centuries. Hōshi Ryokan, a ryokan established in 718, still operates under family management.
What distinguishes these entities is a family transmission structure over several dozen generations. The model relies on the adoption of competent heirs (a common practice in Japan) rather than solely on biological lineage. This flexibility in succession partly explains why these companies have survived where others have gone extinct.
AI and heritage: the case of virtual tourism
Since 2025, companies like Kongō Gumi have diversified their income towards virtual tourism, allowing them to showcase their artisanal heritage without distorting it. The challenge for these millennia-old brands is to use artificial intelligence (3D reconstructions, immersive tours) while preserving the historical narrative that underpins their identity.
The stakes are significant. A brand whose narrative is based on centuries of artisanal know-how risks losing credibility if generative AI produces content detached from this reality. Preserving authenticity in the face of generative AI becomes a brand issue, not just a technological one.
Legal protection of century-old brands in Europe
The EUIPO introduced an accelerated “heritage renewal” procedure in March 2026 for trademarks registered before 1900. This measure aims to facilitate the digital protection of these brands against unauthorized uses by generative AI.
Meanwhile, European courts have noted an increase in validity challenges concerning the oldest registered trademarks since 2024. The main cause: the extension of protected geographical indications, which sometimes conflicts with long-established trade names.
- Trademarks predating 1900 now benefit from a simplified renewal process through the 2026 EUIPO procedure
- Litigations regarding the coexistence of century-old trademarks and geographical indications have been on the rise since 2024
- Protection against generative AI usage constitutes a new area of trademark law in Europe
Old European companies: resilience through the family model
Staffelter Hof, a German vineyard founded in 862, illustrates a model of longevity different from that of large industrial brands. Family structures show greater resilience than brands backed by groups, a trend observed in post-pandemic analyses.
Stella Artois, whose name dates back to 1366, has experienced the opposite trajectory: having come under the control of large brewing groups, the brand has retained its antiquity as a marketing argument, but its governance has long ceased to be familial.
What longevity reveals about brand strategy
The comparison between Staffelter Hof and Stella Artois shows two paths to survival for an old brand:
- Maintaining a family structure with cautious diversification (tourism, direct sales)
- Integration into a large group with large-scale exploitation of the historical narrative
- In both cases, the original narrative remains the main intangible asset
On the other hand, brands that have lost their founding narrative over successive acquisitions struggle to justify their age premium to consumers.
The boundary between “oldest brand” and “oldest company” remains porous, and rankings vary depending on the criterion used. What emerges from the available data is that longevity is less about the industry sector than about the mode of transmission and the ability to protect a founding narrative, even in the face of digital tools that reproduce it without understanding it.