In 1952, Bruno Landesberg
immigrated from
Romania and began working in the
accounting department at
Rafael. After a few years, he began working in sales at the Kadima Chemicals Corporation, a cleaning products manufacturer. In 1959, Landesberg took advantage of a takeover of 'Kadima' to purchase the distribution line and founded the Southern Marketing Company. The first year, the company distributed products of Vitco Fertilizers. A year later, Landesberg decided to begin independent production and started pioneering a
brand that would include all of his products under one name. The first Sano product was toilet bowl scouring powder. After completing
Economics and
Commerce studies at
Harvard University, Landesberg returned to Israel and opened a factory in
Bat Yam. At the time, Sano had only four employees, one machine and three products. In 1963, Sano began selling
3M Scotch-Brite, a move that was profitable. In 1969, the company began producing
mosquito repellant,
cockroach control, and an
air freshener named 'Sano Fresh'. In 1972, the company moved the factory to Hod Hasharon where it has since expanded and operates its main distribution center and factories. In 1982, Sano made its first
initial public offering on the
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Two years later, Sano opened a new factory in
Bnei Brak and started manufacturing disposable
diapers named 'Litufim'. In the 1990s, the company began its overseas expansion by exporting to Europe and entering into a partnership to manufacture detergents in
China. In 1996, Sano stopped marketing Vitco products and came out with a new line of its own. In 2017, Sano had close to 2,000 employees and marketed over 2,000 products. Sano exports to Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, Moldova, the UK, and many other countries. ==See also==