The oldest factories in the world. A review of the world's oldest family-owned companies. The Italian company Fonderia Pontificia Marinelli, specializing in casting church bells, can top the list of the oldest family firms in the Old World

You are probably familiar with the aristocrats - these are companies that are included in the sp500 index, and over the past 25 years they have been increasing their dividend payments. But this time, I chose companies that have been paying dividends for at least 100 years. They didn't increase their dividends every year, but many of them at least didn't reduce their payouts. Most of these companies have humble origins, but over time have grown into multi-billion dollar corporations. Let's look at the oldest companies.

Let's start with Exxon Mobil Corporation- an oil giant, one of the ten largest companies in the American stock market, included in the S&P500 and DJ30 index. The company was created in 1870 as a derivative of John Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust. The company began paying dividends in 1882. Over the last year, the company paid dividends in the amount of 4.01% .

The next company is Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.. The company was founded as a manufacturer of hand tools back in 1840. At the moment, this is a company with a capitalization of more than $21 billion, and is included in the S&P500 index. The company began paying dividends in 1877. Over the last year the company paid dividends in the amount of 1.78% .

And the oldest company is The York Water Company, founded back in 1816 (more than 200 years ago). She began her business as a small water supply company for the city of York and other surrounding towns. The company began paying dividends in 1816. Last year, the dividend amount was 2.06% .

We looked at the three oldest companies, but in general, there are about 15 such companies. Among them are such giants as Consolidated Edison, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and other well-known companies.

5. Estée Lauder Companies Inc

This American company is the world's most famous cosmetics manufacturer and owner of such brands as Estee Lauder, Clinique, M A C, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, American Beauty. The company was founded in 1946 by Estée Lauder, who stood at the helm of her business for almost 50 years.

Today, the Lauder family owns more than 83% of the company's shares. Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is an employer of 32 thousand people, and the company's annual profit exceeds $210 million.

4. Siemens AG

The transnational concern is one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronics, transport, power equipment, and lighting equipment. The company's shares are included in the base for calculating such important stock indices as DAX, S&P, Dow Jones.

The founder of the company in 1847 was the German engineer Werner Siemens, who was financially supported by his cousin Johann Georg Siemens. The heirs of Werner Siemens turned their grandfather's company into a powerful corporation represented in 190 countries around the world. Today, Siemens employs 405 thousand people.

3. Ford Motor Co

The American automobile company is included in the Fortune 500 and Global 500 ratings. The company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, who became famous for being the first to use a conveyor belt in the car assembly process.

Ford Motor Co. has been owned by the Ford family for over 100 years. Ford employs 350,000 people and generates annual revenues of more than $160 billion.

2. Walmart Stores

The American retail company operates the world's largest retail chain under the Walmart brand. The company is owned by the Walton family, and the company's son, Robson Walton, is chairman of the board of directors.

The Walmart network includes more than 10 thousand stores in 27 countries. The company's annual revenue is more than $200 billion. The total number of employees is more than 2 million people.

1.Samsung Group

One of the world's largest concerns traces its history back to a rice flour production workshop opened in the 1930s by Korean Lee Byung-Chol. There is a legend that Li Ben found money to start a business from the ruins of a burnt house.

Samsung literally means “three stars”. It is believed that the company was named after Lee Byung-chul's three sons, the youngest of whom, Lee Kun-hee, was the head of the family business for a long time. Despite his retirement, Lee Kun-hee is the owner of a large share of the company's shares and is also the richest person in South Korea.

Today, the annual turnover of the Samsung group of companies is more than $200 billion.

Nefedov Yu.V., Ph.D.,
Small Enterprise Development Center MFPA

Moscow, 2005

ANNOTATION

Most of the old family companies have survived in the UK - British firms make up exactly a quarter of the entire list. France is in second place in terms of the number of ancient family enterprises represented (19 companies). It is followed by Italy (17 companies), 12 companies on the list are German, see fig. 1. Thus, these four leading Western European countries account for 73 of the hundred companies represented in the list.

In general, there are only 13 non-European companies in the ranking, and seven of them are Japanese. Of the remaining six, three represent the North American continent (Canadian Molson and Wilson Fuel - in 89th and 90th places, respectively) and the Mexican tequila producer Jose Cuervo (in 73rd place). There are no US companies on the list.

Rice. 1. Shares of countries with the largest number of oldest family companies

The stories of the two oldest companies on the list are closely connected with religion. The Kongo Gumi construction company, founded 1,426 years ago, traces its history back to when the Japanese Prince Shotoku brought members of the Kongo family from Korea to Japan more than fourteen centuries ago to build a Buddhist temple, which, by the way, still stands. Since then, Kongo Gumi has been involved in the construction of many famous buildings over the centuries, including the 16th century Osaka Temple. Currently, the company continues to work on the construction and restoration of religious buildings. As they say in the slightly younger company Hoshi, according to an ancient legend, once upon a time, a long time ago, the god of Mount Hakusan came down to a certain priest, who ordered him to find an underground hot spring on this mountain. The source was found, and the priest turned to the Khosi family so that its members would build a resort there, where people could go to be treated by the waters. Now the hotel at this source, managed by the Hoshi company, has a hundred rooms that can simultaneously accommodate 450 guests in need of treatment.

The remaining companies, apparently, also survived in history by preserving their traditions, which turned out to be stronger than wars and revolutions. However, the factors that allow the company to remain viable for such a long time still require careful study.

In his recent research, D. Collins studied the factors that allow companies to:
1) Maintain its leadership in the market, several decades after its founding (work “Built to Last”, jointly with D. Porras);
2) Make a leap into leadership, occupying an mediocre place in your industry (work “From Good to Great”).

Factors that allow companies to survive by adapting to changes were studied by A. de Geus (work “The Living Company”). All three books in Russian translation were published by the Stockholm School of Economics in 2001-2004. However, these works do not provide answers to the question of how companies can survive through millennia.

It remains to add regret that there are no Russian companies on the list. There are no traditions of entrepreneurship in Russia. The reasons for this are known, however, I would like to once again note the need to absorb foreign entrepreneurial culture as the only lesson to study, and not brush it aside.

Today there are many companies that focus on long service life, established traditions and consumer trust in their goods and services. At the same time, few people know that there are companies in the world that have been operating for several hundred years since their founding. We have compiled a list of ten of the oldest brands on Earth.

In tenth place among the oldest companies is The Shore Porters Society, which is located in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company's employees provide services related to freight transportation, moving, and storage of items. The history of this company dates back to 1498. Today it is the oldest transport company in the world. In addition, she works in a variety of industries, providing assistance to people in the matter of moving house buildings, as well as transporting valuable property located in the area of responsibility of auction houses.

Another company, Kremnica Mint, has been minting coins for approximately 800 years. Production started in Slovakia back in 1328. After the city received permission from King Charles Robert of Anjou to issue florins, as well as ducats, which could later be used in Europe, the city organized a new mint.

Banknotes issued in Slovakia had a high reputation. Many noted their durability and high quality. The Mint continued to function even after some of the equipment installed on it was destroyed during the fighting during World War II.

In eighth place is the Frapin company, which has been distilling since 1270. Many companies prefer to purchase grapes from other people's plantations, including those located abroad. However, Frapin has been using exclusively home-grown products for many hundreds of years. Today, the company's main product is vintage cognac, the manufacturing process of which is strictly controlled throughout the production line. Today, Frapin alcoholic products are recognized as one of the best and highest quality in the world.

The Affligem Abbey Brewery company is in 7th place in our ranking and has been operating for almost 1000 years. It was founded back in 1074 in Belgium. A company with a ten-century history produces beer. The product, which has been improved over the centuries, is based on a recipe created by the monks of the local abbey. Ten years ago, one of the oldest enterprises in the world was bought by Heineken. It is worth noting that the plant is still located in the same place, and also produces beer, which is supplied to almost all countries of the world.

The Polish company Wieliczka Salt Mine began operating in Krakow 30 years earlier than the previous company - in 1044. It is engaged in the extraction of salt, as well as the subsequent transportation of this product to all countries of the world. The key reason for the success of the enterprise remains large salt deposits, which are under strict control by experts. The production process is not very complicated, and the product remains in demand at all times. At one time, the company was able to attract the attention of the Pope, as well as US President Bill Clinton.

The next place on the list goes to another brewing company - Weihenstephan Brewery. It was opened in 1040 and throughout the history of its work there have been no recorded periods of long interruptions in operation. Even today you can order a drink brewed at this enterprise, which is organized on the territory of Freising, Germany. According to experts, this beer can be called an elite drink not only because of its high quality, but also because of the long history of creating the product and the work of the company, which has marked all the major milestones in the development of brewing.

In the city of Athlone in Ireland there is Sean's Bar, which today is recognized as one of the oldest pubs in the world. This establishment was created in 900. For more than a thousand years, the establishment served visitors, providing them with beer and other alcoholic drinks. Thanks to the rather favorable location of the drinking establishment, there is an almost continuous flow of customers. The pub building is located at the crossroads of the River Shannon, which was previously one of the few safe routes across the moorland.

Restaurant Stiftskeller St. Peter, located in the Austrian Salzburg, opens the three oldest companies in the world. It was here that a number of representatives of the royal family were received, as well as prominent figures who were noted not only in the formation of Austria, but also in modern history. Today this restaurant is known as one of the best in Europe. The work of this institution began 1219 years ago - in 803.

The leaders of the list of the oldest companies in the world are enterprises located in the land of the rising sun. Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is located in Yamanashi Municipality, Japan and has been in business since 705. It is he who is officially recognized as the oldest hotel that continues to operate to this day. Surprisingly, the descendants of the creators continue to manage it. During this time, 52 generations of the family have changed.

According to a study by Italian economists, the richest families in Florence today are descendants of the richest Florentine families who lived in the city on the Arno River almost 600 years ago. Many Florentine taxpayers for the years 1427 and 2011 have the same not only last names and incomes, but also professions. Family business is the strongest and most durable. There are several hundred family-owned companies on the planet that are over 200 years old. Japan is striking in its longevity: the age of several Japanese enterprises is approaching one and a half thousand years.

SERGEY MANUKOV

Seven hundred year old wine

Lamberto Frescobaldi lives near Florence, in a medieval castle that belonged to his ancestors for many centuries, and heads the family business. Signor Frescobaldi's ancestors were winemakers - they supplied red wine to the court of Pope Leo X and Michelangelo.

“A person should feel his heritage on his tongue,” Bloomberg quotes the words of a 53-year-old Florentine winemaker. “The main thing is to manage it correctly...”

Many generations of the Frescobaldi clan have been preserving and increasing the family fortune for more than 700 years. For Lamberto, the family heritage lies in one word - “wine”. His acquaintance with red wine took place at the age of six, when Lamberto took part in a summer festival with winegrowers.

“Of course, they couldn’t offer me water,” he defends the workers. “After all, I was the owner’s son!”

Lamberto Frescobaldi graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in viticulture and now heads the Marchesi Frescobaldi Group. It bottles 11 million bottles of wine a year and is one of the largest in Italy. Lamberto even named his dog Brunello in honor of the Brunello di Montalcino wine variety that his company produces.

Before turning to wine production in 1308, the Frescobaldi were wool traders and bankers. They financed, for example, the wars of King Edward I in Wales and France. The Frescobaldi family left a significant mark on the history of Florence. They built the first bridge in the city - the Holy Trinity Bridge. Among the members of this family are Giloramo Frescobaldi, one of the most famous composers of the early Baroque, and the poet Dino Frescobaldi. Dino collected and preserved the first seven songs of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy when he was sent into exile. This helped Dante complete his brilliant creation.

The Frescobaldi dynasty is not unique to Florence, the main city of Tuscany. Bank of Italy economic analysts Guglielmo Barone and Sauro Mochetti decided to trace intergenerational mobility in the city on the Arno. They compared data on payments to Florentine taxpayers for 1427 and 2011 and found a very significant constancy of socioeconomic status, which persists not for years, but for centuries.

Mobility is usually measured by intergenerational elasticity, or the correlation between the father's status and the adult son's status. Intergenerational income elasticity, that is, the ease with which individuals can change their income and level of socioeconomic status from generation to generation, is measured from 0 to 1. Zero indicates complete intergenerational mobility, and 1 indicates complete inability to change income or status. The higher the elasticity, the lower the mobility. In the case of income across countries, for example, the elasticity varies widely, from less than 0.2 in the Scandinavian countries to almost 0.5 in Italy, the UK and the US.

The research organization Conference Board of Canada estimates the income elasticity in the UK at 0.48, and in Italy at 0.5. These estimates, the London Independent points out, are relatively high compared to countries such as Denmark and Norway, where elasticities are 0.15 and 0.18 respectively.

Florentine phenomenon

Giloramo Frescobaldi was not involved in winemaking; he glorified his family as one of the most famous composers of the early Baroque

Most scholars have studied intergenerational mobility empirically and have focused on the correlation of socioeconomic status between two adjacent generations—parents and their children. They share a theory that states that the economic advantages and disadvantages of previous generations quickly disappear after a few decades. American sociologists Gary Becker and Nigel Thomas, for example, argue in the book “Human Capital and the Rise and Fall of Families” (1986) that almost all advantages or disadvantages in the income of ancestors disappear within three generations.

Barone and Mocetti take the opposite view.

“The dramatic political, demographic and economic upheavals that have occurred in the city (Florence) over six centuries have failed to cut the Gordian knot of socio-economic heritage,” they write in an article dedicated to the study and published on the economic portal VoxEU.

It was no coincidence that Italian economists chose the year 1427: Florence, which had waged a grueling war with Milan, found itself on the verge of financial and political collapse. And in order to increase tax collection, the Florentine priors registered 10 thousand taxpayers (not only the names and surnames of the heads of families were indicated, but also their profession, amount of income and wealth).

Guglielmo Barone and Sauro Mochetti compared this data with the tax returns of Florentines for 2011. It turned out that a good nine hundred surnames still exist today. Moreover, many bearers of ancient noble names continue to pay high taxes, that is, they are still rich. Of course, due to the peculiarities of Italian surnames (they were often given according to the place of birth), simple coincidences are also possible, but most representatives of the same surnames are still blood relatives.

The city's socioeconomic ladder six centuries ago was dominated by powerful and wealthy guilds. Among the wealthiest Florentine taxpayers of that time were representatives of the shoemakers' guild, the silk guild, and the wool guild. Representatives of the guild of judges and notaries were quite a bit inferior to them in terms of income.

Lamberto Frescobaldi heads the Marchesi Frescobaldi company, one of the largest in Italy, and his ancestors supplied red wine to the court of Pope Leo X

For example, a number of the wealthiest families in Florence today are descendants of the most successful shoemakers of the 15th century. In the shoemakers' guild, the match between the names of wealthy taxpayers in 1427 and 2011 is 97%, and in the silk guild and the guild of judges and notaries - 93%. Every third Florentine rich man of the 15th century remains wealthy today.

Analyzing tax records for 2011, Italian economists found that the five richest names on the list of Florentine taxpayers from five years ago, which they did not name for ethical reasons, were broadly the same as those who paid the highest taxes 600 years ago. The richest Florentine families earned between €64,228 and €146,489 in 2011.

There are also large overlaps in the top five poorest taxpayers in Florence in the 15th and 21st centuries. The annual income of low-paid Florentines in 2011 ranged from €5,945 to €9,702.

A number of professions, such as shoemakers, lawyers, bankers and jewelers, show high temporary stability. A similar positive correlation, although to a lesser extent, was found among doctors and pharmacists.

“The ancestors of the wealthiest taxpayers of our time occupied the very top of the socioeconomic ladder six centuries ago,” say Italian scientists. “This stability can be traced despite the enormous economic, political and demographic changes and upheavals that occurred between these two dates.”

A study by Italian economists indicates a constancy of status. Moreover, it is most stable among the richest

A study by Italian economists shows that changes in wealth and socioeconomic status were minimal over 25 generations, and opportunities for upward mobility in Florence over 600 years were limited.

Guglielmo Barone and Sauro Mochetti believe that low social and economic mobility is not only unjust in nature, it can cause serious harm to society: “Societies characterized by high transmission of socioeconomic status are often unjust. Low mobility can reduce the efficiency of such a society because that it wastes the talents and experience of its members of low birth."

According to Barone and Mocetti, the rich are more likely to maintain their high status for centuries - thanks to the so-called glass floor, which protects the descendants of wealthy people from falling off the economic ladder.

Some may make associations between the studies of Italian scientists and the French economist Thomas Piketty, the author of the theory of growing income inequality, especially among the richest 1% of the population. The Italians themselves deny any connection with Piketty’s works, emphasizing that the goal of their research is economic mobility. The point is that the rich remain rich, but it does not mean that they necessarily become richer. Italian economists say: their research shows the constancy of status, and it is the most stable among the richest.

And the range of research by Barone and Mocetti is much wider: their focus is not on 1% of the rich, but on the entire population of Florence.

By country and continent

Of course, the condition can be inherited. Parents play an important role in determining social status. This theory is confirmed by other studies. Sociologists, for example, have come to the conclusion that even now, 140 years after the abolition of the Japanese samurai class, their descendants are part of the social elite of the Land of the Rising Sun, despite the fact that the samurai and other representatives of the Japanese aristocracy have long lost their privileges, and all Japanese, according to the current constitution, equal. University of California professor Gregory Clark also writes about the preservation—for centuries—of wealth and status in his book “The Rise of the Son.” And he does not hide his surprise at how much the well-being and condition of his contemporaries depends on what their ancestors did and how successfully they did it several centuries ago.

Logic would seem to dictate that, in the case of Japan, dramatic social upheavals such as the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ended Japan's feudal system, or defeat in World War II should give rise to low social mobility. However, Clarke's work refutes this logic.

A study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that in many European countries, not only wealth and income are “sticky”, but also professions that are also passed on from generation to generation.

More than a third of the richest Italians inherited their money. In the United States there are 29%, but in China, according to a 2014 study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, only 2%.

The highest level of billionaire heirs among developed economies is in Germany, 65%. In general, heirs and heiresses make up approximately half of Western European billionaires.

“You can hardly find another country where the social origin of income is higher than in Germany,” says Marcel Fratzscher, director of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), in a recently published book.

Germany's high share of family wealth is partly a consequence of a tax system that, until 2016, allowed family-owned companies, including many of the midsize firms at the heart of the economy, to pass on financial assets by inheritance while paying very little special tax.

A descendant of perhaps the richest European family of the 16th century, Count Alexander Fugger-Babenhausen considers preserving the family fortunes a great responsibility. The 34-year-old aristocrat recently returned to his homeland after several years working at a London investment bank. Now he manages family assets and is involved in charity work.

Residents of the Augsburg Fuggerei, cozy two-story houses with terraces, annually pay one Rhine florin bequeathed by Jakob Fugger for their accommodation, which corresponds to the current... €0.88. In exchange for a purely symbolic rent, they must say prayers three times a day to save the souls of the founder of the social shelter and his relatives.

By the way, the 140 Fugger apartments also proved their strength, having survived an astronomical number of wars and partial destruction during the Second World War. They were restored according to ancient plans. Unique Renaissance decorations have also been preserved, including, for example, lever door opening mechanisms that allowed residents to let guests in without leaving the only heated room in the house.

Family business is the strongest

There are about 200 family companies in the world with an annual turnover exceeding $2 billion. Suffice it to say that the largest retail chain on the planet, Wal-Mart Stores, is family-owned.

Family businesses play a very important role in the economies of many countries. Its position is strongest in trade and services. Family businesses employ almost half of the planet's workforce and produce more than half of the world's GDP.

“Family business predates the rise of multinational corporations,” writes Professor William O'Hara, director of the Institute of Family Business (IFE) at Bryant University, in Centuries of Success. “It predates the Industrial Revolution. The family business existed before Greece and the Roman Empire. Most old family companies, for all their individuality and dissimilarity, are united by the fact that they work in the basic spheres of human activity and are engaged in the production of alcoholic beverages and food products, weapons, cargo transportation, construction, etc.

In Japan, the percentage of family businesses among registered firms is close to one hundred (96.5%). Indians and Mexicans are quite a bit inferior to the Japanese. In these countries, the share of family businesses is 95%

If we talk about geography, the family business has received the greatest development in three countries. In Japan, the percentage of family businesses among registered firms is close to one hundred (96.5%). Indians and Mexicans are quite a bit inferior to the Japanese. In these countries, the share of family businesses is 95%.

According to American economists Melissa Shanker and Joseph Astrachan, there are 24 million family businesses in the United States. They employ 62% of all American workers and contribute 64% to the country's GDP. BusinessWeek magazine estimated that in 2006, more than a third of Fortune 500 members (35%) were family-owned businesses.

The idea that family businesses don't last is hardly true: Family Business magazine has counted several hundred family businesses that are more than two centuries old.

The Italian company Fonderia Pontificia Marinelli, specializing in casting church bells, can top the list of the oldest family firms in the Old World

Just ten years ago, the Japanese construction company Kongo Gumi was considered the oldest company on the planet. She continues to work now, but, alas, she has left the family category.

The family business was founded by carpenter Shigemitsu Kongo, who came to Osaka at the end of the 6th century with his family and numerous relatives from the Korean kingdom of Baekje. He built the Shitennoji Temple in the ancient capital of Japan, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the country. Construction, which began in 578, lasted for a decade and a half.

Kongo settled down in Osaka and founded a company that today is over 14 centuries old! Kongo Gumi specialized in the construction of religious buildings, and the Kong people have retained this specialization to this day. In 2004, for example, churches brought in almost 80% of revenues, amounting to $67.6 million.

The Kongō family was first mentioned in one of Japan's oldest written monuments, the Nihon Seki, dating back to 720. Over 1,428 years, the company was led by 40 presidents. All of them bore the surname Kongo, although not all were born Kongo. When sons were transferred in the family, the company was headed by sons-in-law. A prerequisite: they had to take the surname of the founder of the business. Unlike most family companies, which automatically pass to the eldest son, Kongo's president has always been the most capable son or son-in-law, regardless of seniority.

Kongo carefully preserves history and traditions. The company's latest president, Masakazu Kongo, claims that 90% of the carpentry technologies that Shigemitsu used are still used today.

There is only one female name in a three-meter scroll with a list of company executives: Yoshi Kongo took over the family business after the suicide of the 37th president.

After the Meiji Restoration, the authorities stopped funding the construction of temples. The company's financial position began to deteriorate. In the 20th century, Kongo had to build schools, nursing homes and other buildings and structures, and during the war even made coffins.

In 2004, Kongo's profits fell by more than a third - by 35% compared to 1998. Layoffs of workers and austerity on everything, including office supplies, did not help. Debts reached $343 million. By the beginning of 2006, the company could no longer service them. Ten years ago, Masakazu declared the company, which employed 100 people, bankrupt. The company was bought by construction giant Takamatsu. Kongo retained the name, but became one of Takamatsu's divisions.

After the “demise” of Kongo, the title of the oldest family company passed to another Japanese company - now Hoshi Ryokan, which has been in the hotel business for almost 1300 years, is considered the oldest.

Hoshi owns a hotel in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture. The date of her birth is considered to be 718. According to legend, the god of the sacred mountain Hakusan ordered the Buddhist priest Taiko in a dream to find an underground source of hot water with healing properties. The source was found in the indicated location. Taiko ordered the carpenter Garyo Hoshi to build an inn near him, which later became the Hoshi Hotel.

Ten years ago, the oldest company on the planet was considered the Japanese construction company Kongo Gumi, founded by Shigemitsu Kongo, who came to Osaka at the end of the 6th century and built the Shitennoji Temple in the ancient capital of Japan

Photo: Sergey Vishnevsky, Kommersant

Hoshi's 100-odd rooms can accommodate about 450 guests. Over the course of 1,298 years, the owners of the hotel were 46 generations of Garyo’s descendants. It is now owned by Zengoro Hoshi.

Of course, there are representatives of the Old World on the list of family companies with a long history. Until recently, the oldest of them was the French company Chateau de Goulaine, whose main activity is still winemaking. The Goulin family owns a medieval castle near Nantes, built around 1000, and extensive vineyards. The castle has a museum with a large collection of rare butterflies, and often hosts weddings and other celebrations.

This spring, the Gulens put the castle and vineyards up for sale. Therefore, the title of the oldest family company in Europe may soon pass to the Italian Fonderia Pontificia Marinelli, which specializes in casting church bells. The foundry has been located in the very center of the peninsula, in the town of Agnone, for a thousand years. Just like at Kongo, Marinelli's foundries still use the wax mold-making technique invented by the company's founder.

The company's bells ring in churches in New York, Beijing, Seoul, Jerusalem, European and South American cities. Marinelli is headed by Pasquale Marinelli. The company employs 20 people, a quarter of whom bear the surname Marinelli.

The oldest factories in the world. A review of the world's oldest family-owned companies. The Italian company Fonderia Pontificia Marinelli, specializing in casting church bells, can top the list of the oldest family firms in the Old World