New Map Shows the Oldest Business in (Almost) Every Country in the World

When you think of old businesses, do you think of your grandfather’s barber shop from the 1950’s or that amazing Italian restaurant in the city from the 1880’s? What about a distillery from the 1700’s? Or a winery from the 800’s! This amazing chart from the team at Cloud Peak Law Group shows the oldest continually running businesses in every country around the world and some may surprise you.

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The map is comprised of 165 countries with a date range from 578 AD to 1999. A few notable mentions that caught my eye would be the first one listed on the map from the year 578, Kongō Gumi, a family-owned construction company that began centuries building Buddhist temples in Japan. Over 200 years later would be the next oldest on the map, also said to be the oldest restaurant in the world, St. Peter Stiftskulinarum in Austria. This incredible building is just one of Austria’s unique treasures and must-see tourist spots. Located in St Peter’s Abbey in the city of Salzburg, this restaurant has had many famous guests including Christopher Columbus, astrologer Johann Georg Faust, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it is interesting to see the businesses who have the youngest timeline for their countries oldest business. In equatorial Guinea, Guinea Equatorial Airlines, which was started in 1996, is their oldest running business. In Kosovo, the Meridian Corporation is the oldest running business in the country, and it was only started 23 years ago.