History - PT AMBICO Indonesia

AMBICO is a privately owned company specializing in Agricultural commodity and consumer goods.

The company’s journey was started back in 1971, so called the pioneer of Konnyaku farming and manufacturing in Indonesia.

Masaharu Ishii was one of the former Japanese Army who was sent to Indonesia. After the Japanese occupation era, most of the Japanese army were sent back to Japan. However, Mr.Ishii felt attached to Indonesia, decided to stay and fought alongside Indonesian people during the independency war.

After Indonesia gained its independence, Mr.Ishii decided to start a family in Indonesia. As a form of gratitude, he tried to find a beneficial Indonesian commodity that could be introduced to the world and that could bridge the relationship between Indonesia and Japan. During period 1956-1965, he learned about the konjac trading industry thus made him the only trusted person to do the inspection for Japanese government in terms of exported konjac.

In 1971 Mr. Ishii built PT. Ambitious Trading Co. as a way for him to introduce konjac yam to the Indonesian people by processing it into Konnyaku and Shirataki.

The name of the company was inspired by the well-known motto :

“Boys, be ambitious!”

少年よ大志を抱け

-William S. Clark.

Be ambitious not for money or for selfish aggrandizement, nor for that evanescent thing which men call fame. Be ambitious for knowledge, for righteousness, and for the uplift of your people. Be ambitious for the attainment of all that a man ought to be.

クラーク先生の残したメッセージ、「少年よ、大志を抱け」は不朽の名言として北海道大学に語り継がれているが、その精神は、「金や利己的な富の蓄積のためではなく、
人が名誉と呼ぶはかないもののためでもなく、知識や、正義や、人々の向上のために、そして人としてあるべき姿に到達するために大志を抱きなさい」というものであった。

” A Sense of Healthy Living “

Delivered a product that will change people’s eating habits to become healthier.
アンビコ社が提供する商品で人々の食生活を健康にする

Delivered a product that will enrich people’ life.
アンビコ社が提供する商品で人々の暮らしを豊かにする

Delivered a product that will leave an impression.
アンビコ社が提供する商品で感動を与える

Vision

Becoming the world’s leading producer for Konnyaku and Ashitaba.

Mission

Through continuous improvement (KAIZEN), AMBICO commits to give customer satisfaction in quality improvement, punctuality of delivery, product improvement, and process efficiency.

Growth and Expansion

Company Timeline

1971
1985
1988
1991
1997
1998
2000
2001
2005
2008
2013
2014
2016
2017
2018
2019
2021

Masaharu Ishii founded PT.Ambitious Trading Co. to introduce
Konjac yam to the Indonesian.

Began producing and exporting Konjac Chips as raw material
for Konnyaku and Shirataki.

Started producing Konnyaku and Shirataki with liquid packaging and selling the product in Indonesia.

The company succeeded in producing Dry Shirataki
and then started exporting it to Japan.

Started exporting Dry Konnyaku in a rice form to Japan.

The company’s name changed from PT.Ambitious Trading Co. to PT.AMBICO.

AMBICO built a new line of product using Ashitaba plant.

Started exporting its Ashitaba’s products to Japan.

Developed an organic plantation for Ashitaba.

Started exporting Konnyaku and Shirataki products to America.

Started exporting Konnyaku and Shirataki products to Europe.

Started exporting Konnyaku and Shirataki products to South Korea.

Acquired a certification ISO 9001:2015.

Built a factory division for Konnyaku rice and Granule production line.

Started a collaboration with local Indonesian company
to develop “healthy” retail production line.

Developed a new farming products such as Moringa and Candle Bush,
collaborated with Ashitaba farmers.

Developed another collaboration with local Indonesian companies to create a combining products of Shirataki and Ashitaba.

To mark its 50th-year journey, in March 2021 AMBICO launched its new visual identity.