Wimm Bill Dann (russian: Вимм-Билль-Данн) is one of Europe's largest dairy products companies. WBD produces

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in t ...

, milk, flavored milk, fruit juices, and other

soft drinks A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a s ...

. It holds a 34% share in all dairy products in Russia, and a 20% share of the fruit drink market. Wimm Bill Dann has 30 production sites in 16 cities. The "About our Company" page on the website describes the company's close ties to Russia's cattle and dairy farms. The company's management is both Russian and non-Russian. According to former Plant Manager Vladimir Tambov, the

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

is a mouse.

History

The company was established in 1992 by (the father of fashion designer

Kira Plastinina Kira Plastinina (russian: Ки́ра Серге́евна Пласти́нина) is a Russian fashion designer and entrepreneur. Her brand was sold through a now defunct chain of eponymous retail stores in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, C ...

) and Mikhail Dubinin. The business began with a leased juice bottling line and a loan of US$ 50.000. Plastinin and Dubinin invited David Iakobachvili. Together with other partners, they leased a juice bottling line at the . The first name for the juices was given the name of the company itself: the word "Wimm Bill Dann" was coined in assonance with the English "

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

". The company was one of the first Russian producers of

fruit juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...

under the "J7" brand. In response to a decline in the census of dairy cattle in Russia, the company spent US$7 mm in 1999 to modernize its suppliers'

milking Milking is the act of removing milk from the mammary glands of cattle, water buffalo, humans, goats, sheep, and, more rarely, camels, horses and donkeys. Milking may be done by hand or by machine, and requires the animal to be currently or recen ...

and refrigeration equipment. The company listed on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...

in 2002. In 2003, Wimm-Bill-Dann acquired a factory manufacturing the . The company had been producing the «» «» and brands of mineral water until 2018, when it the plant to the

joint-stock company A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's capital stock, stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their share (finance), shares (certificates ...

«Holding-Aqua». Danone considered a takeover of Wimm-Bill-Dann around the same year. It at one time had an 18% stake in the company, which it sold in October 2010.

PepsiCo acquisition

On 2 December 2010,

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manuf ...

agreed to buy Wimm-Bill-Dann. During the first stage PepsiCo bought 66% of Wimm-Bill-Dann for $3.8 billion. The purchase was one of the biggest

foreign investments A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment in the form of a controlling ownership in a business in one country by an entity based in another country. It is thus distinguished from a foreign portfolio investment by a notion of direct co ...

yet seen in Russia outside the

energy industry The energy industry is the totality of all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution. Modern society consumes large amounts of fuel, and the energy indu ...

. Following the acquisition, the company delisted its stock from the

in 2011. The deal was completed in several stages entirely (100%) by December 2011 through a multi-stage acquisition from founding shareholders, management and free float. The acquisition was the second-largest in PepsiCo history (after its earlier acquisition of

Quaker Oats The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001. History Precursor miller companies In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuart founded oat mills. S ...

). Months following its acquisition of the company, PepsiCo was alerted of possible accounting improprieties by an anonymous whistle-blower. PepsiCo hired the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to conduct an investigation of Wimm Bill Dann, which revealed widespread compliance issues including potential

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) (, ''et seq.'') is a United States federal law that prohibits U.S. citizens and entities from bribing foreign government officials to benefit their business interests. The FCPA is applicable world ...

violations. PepsiCo general counsel Maura Smith commissioned a memo which blamed PepsiCo's European management and compliance reporting systems for previously overlooking these improprieties, but her employment ended for undisclosed reasons before the memo was finalized. Following these events, the

Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

began an investigation as to whether Smith was fired in retaliation for her actions.

Controversies

In October-November 2016, the company was accused of using the milk of FMD-infected cows in the production of its dairy products. Following the requirements of the Rospotrebnadzor, Wimm Bill Dann withdrew its products from the market. The company denied the accusations but conducted formal investigations.

Brands

WBD has a portfolio of over 1,000 different types of yogurt and dairy drinks, and 150 types of fruit juices and fruit drinks. Its most recognized brands are "", "100% Gold Premium", "Favourite Garden" (russian: "Любимый сад"), "House in a village" (russian: "Домик в деревне"), "Jolly Milkman" (russian: "Весёлый молочник"), and "Agousha" (russian: "Агуша").

References

External links