The oldest extant companies in the world

Old companies are interesting, especially given the view that (short term) profit maximization isn't the only thing that companies might think about.

Here's a map from twisted sifter: you can click on it to zoom in:
The Oldest Company in (almost) Every Country
*that is still in business

For the U.S. they list Shirley Plantation as in operation since 1638 (whereas the home page at the link says "Est. 1613)
"Shirley Plantation is America’s oldest farm and family-owned business and is lived in and actively managed by direct descendants of the original builders."

You could stay at Gasthof Sternen in Zurich (opened in 1230)

The Paris Mint, Monnais de Paris (864) describes itself as
"France's longest standing institution and the oldest enterprise in the world, Monnaie de Paris was officially founded in 864 with the Edict of Pistres. In the Edict, Charles II - known as Charles the Bald - decreed the creation of a coining workshop in Paris, attached to the crown"

And then there's Kongo-Gumi in Japan, founded in 578 (and now part of the Takamatsu Construction Group).