Calpis facts for kids
A bottle of Calpis Water
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| Type | Concentrate |
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| Inventor | Kaiun Mishima |
| Inception | 7 July 1919 |
| Manufacturer | Calpis Co., Ltd. |
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Native name
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カルピス株式会社
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Romanized name
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Karupisu Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Soft drinks |
| Founded | April 1916 |
| Founder | Kaiun Mishima |
| Headquarters | , |
| Parent | Asahi Breweries |
Calpis (カルピス, Karupisu), also known as Calpico, is a popular Japanese drink. It is a non-carbonated soft drink made by Calpis Co., Ltd. This company is part of Asahi Breweries and is located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
The drink tastes light, a bit milky, and slightly sour. It's similar to plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt. Calpis is made from water, powdered milk, and lactic acid. It gets its special taste from a process called lactic acid fermentation.
You can buy Calpis as a thick liquid called a concentrate. You mix this concentrate with water or sometimes milk before you drink it. There are also ready-to-drink versions like Calpis Water (カルピスウォーター, Karupisu Wōtā). If you like bubbles, you can try Calpis Soda (カルピスソーダ, Karupisu Sōda), which is carbonated. Calpis is also used to flavor desserts like shaved ice and other drinks.
History of Calpis
Calpis was created by a man named Kaiun Mishima. He traveled to Inner Mongolia in 1902. There, he found a traditional cultured milk drink called airag. This drink helped his digestion feel better. Mishima was inspired to create his own version of this healthy drink.
Mishima first tried making a product called Daigomi in 1916. It was made by culturing cream. But it was hard to make enough for everyone. He then tried Daigoso, which used skimmed milk. This also didn't sell well. His next idea was Lacto Caramel, but it melted in the summer.
Calpis was finally created by accident! Mishima added sugar to Daigoso and left it overnight. It tasted great! Calpis was officially launched on July 7, 1919. It cost ¥1.60 per bottle. People liked that they could mix it with water, which made it last longer. It quickly became popular, with the saying "the taste of first love."
At first, Calpis was seen as a special drink for gifts or important events. Around 1965, it started to become a common drink in homes. New flavors like orange came out in 1958. Pineapple and grape flavors followed two years later. Calpis Soda, the bubbly version, was released in 1974.
In 1991, a ready-to-drink version called Calpis Water was a huge hit. Over 20 million cases were sold in its first year. Around this time, the company also started using paper and plastic bottles for its drinks.
Why the Name "Calpis"?
Mishima's first products, Daigomi and Daigoso, were named after "daigo." This Japanese word means the "greatest of all flavors" in Buddhism. Mishima wanted a similar special name for Calpis.
He first thought of "Calpir," combining "cal" from calcium and "pir" from a Sanskrit word for a special flavor. But after talking to a musician and a Buddhist priest, he chose "pis" from the Sanskrit word sarpiṣ instead.
In North America, Calpis is often sold as Calpico. This change was made to avoid confusion with a similar-sounding English word.
Packaging Design
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The famous Calpis packaging has white dots on a blue background. This design is meant to look like the Milky Way galaxy. It celebrates the Japanese Tanabata festival, also known as the Star Festival. In 1953, the colors were switched, so it became blue dots on a white background.
In 1919, Calpis held a poster contest to help European artists after World War I. A German painter won third place. In 1923, Calpis started using a new logo based on his design. This old logo showed a person drinking from a glass. However, this logo later came to be seen as offensive. Because of this, the logo was changed in 1990. A 12-year-old boy was one of the people who asked for the logo to be changed.
See also
In Spanish: Calpis para niños
- Actimel
- Fermented milk products
- List of fermented foods
- Milkis
- Pocari Sweat
- Wahaha
