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Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in
Laval, Mayenne Laval () is a town in western France, about west-southwest of Paris, and the capital of the Mayenne departments of France, department. Its inhabitants are called ''Lavallois''. The commune of France, commune of Laval proper, without the metropo ...
, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest
dairy product Dairy products or milk products are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as y ...
s group in the world, and is the second largest food products group in France, behind
Danone Danone S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in 1919 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris, where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock mark ...
. It owns brands such as
Parmalat Parmalat S.p.A. is an Italian dairy and food corporation which is a subsidiary of French multinational company Lactalis. It was founded by Calisto Tanzi in 1961. Having become the leading global company in the production of long-life milk us ...
, Président,
Kraft Natural Cheese Lactalis Heritage Group, Inc., doing business as Kraft Natural Cheese, is an American food processing company resulting from the spin-off of Kraft Heinz's cheese activities in the United States and Canada and its sale to the French conglomerate ...
,
Siggi's Dairy Siggi's Dairy (stylized as siggi's dairy) is an American multinational brand of skyr – an Icelandic version of yogurt – that is owned by ''Icelandic Milk & Skyr Corporation'', a subsidiary of French dairy products leader Lactalis. The company ...
, Skånemejerier,
Rachel's Organic Rachel's is an organic dairy products company based in Aberystwyth, Wales. Founded by local farmers but now a subsidiary of French company Lactalis, it was the United Kingdom's first certified organic dairy. Background The Williams family t ...
, and
Stonyfield Farm Stonyfield Farm, Inc., also simply called Stonyfield, is an organic yogurt maker and dairy company located in Londonderry, New Hampshire, United States. Stonyfield Farm was founded by Samuel Kaymen in 1983, on a 19th-century farmstead in Wilton, ...
.


History

André Besnier started a small
cheesemaking Cheesemaking (or caseiculture) is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrate ...
company in 1933 and launched its '' Président'' brand of
Camembert Camembert ( , , ) is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look, taste and texture to brie cheese, albe ...
in 1968. In 1990, it acquired Group Bridel (2,300 employees, 10 factories, fourth-largest French dairy group) with a presence in 60 countries. In 1992, it acquired United States cheese company Sorrento. In 1999, ''la société Besnier'' became ''le groupe Lactalis'' owned by Belgian holding company BSA International SA. In 2006, they bought Italian group Galbani, and in 2008, bought Swiss cheesemaker Baer. They bought Italian group
Parmalat Parmalat S.p.A. is an Italian dairy and food corporation which is a subsidiary of French multinational company Lactalis. It was founded by Calisto Tanzi in 1961. Having become the leading global company in the production of long-life milk us ...
in a 2011 2.5B € takeover after its bankruptcy and have since sought to delist it. In 2013, the Sorrento and Precious brands in the US were renamed Galbani, and the Sorrento Lactalis division was renamed Lactalis American Group. In 2006, the company formed a joint venture with
Nestlé Nestlé S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 20 ...
,
Lactalis-Nestlé Fresh Products Lactalis-Nestlé Produits Frais is a company specializing in the production of dairy products, sold under various brands of ''Nestlé'', ''Lactalis'', and private labels. It brings together the Swiss agri-food companies Nestlé and the French Lact ...
. In 2007, the French
Institut National des Appellations d'Origine An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...
, which administers AOC (''L'appellation d'origine contrôlée'') designations for French food products, refused to permit Lactalis and the dairy cooperative, Isigny-Sainte-Mère, to sell pasteurized Camembert as "true Camembert". As of 2007, these two companies represented between 80 and 90% of
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
Camembert sales. During that same year, it acquired the Croatian dairy company Dukat. In 2018, the INAO announced it would relax restrictions and create a new designation to include pasteurized Camembert in 2021. Lactilis acquired the southern Swedish dairy company, Skånemejerier, in February 2012. In May 2015, Lactalis acquired an 80% stake in Turkish dairy Ak Gida, a subsidiary of Yildiz Holding. In July 2017 it was announced that
Groupe Danone Danone S.A. () is a French multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in 1919 in Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris, where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock market index. Some of the company's produ ...
had agreed to sell its
Stonyfield Farm Stonyfield Farm, Inc., also simply called Stonyfield, is an organic yogurt maker and dairy company located in Londonderry, New Hampshire, United States. Stonyfield Farm was founded by Samuel Kaymen in 1983, on a 19th-century farmstead in Wilton, ...
subsidiary to Lactalis for $875 Million to avoid anti-trust claims and to clear the way for Danone's acquisition of U.S. organic food producer
WhiteWave Foods Danone North America is a consumer packaged food and beverage company based in White Plains, New York, U.S, that manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells branded premium dairy products (including yogurt), plant-based foods and beverages, cof ...
. In December 2017, Lactalis announced the acquisition of dairy company Itambé. In January 2018, Lactalis announced it had agreed to purchase the
skyr Skyr ( ; ) is a traditional Icelandic cultured dairy product. It has the consistency of strained yogurt, but a milder flavor. Skyr can be classified as a fresh sour milk cheese, similar to curd cheese consumed like a yogurt in the Baltic ...
producer
Siggi's Dairy Siggi's Dairy (stylized as siggi's dairy) is an American multinational brand of skyr – an Icelandic version of yogurt – that is owned by ''Icelandic Milk & Skyr Corporation'', a subsidiary of French dairy products leader Lactalis. The company ...
, which will continue to be run independently. In October 2018, Lactalis announced the acquisition of
Nestlé Nestlé S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 20 ...
Malaysia's chilled dairy business unit for approximately $40 million. Lactalis's Indian subsidiary Tirumala Milk Products said that it would acquire Prabhat's dairy business for ₹17 Billion. This will be Lactalis's third acquisition in India. On 15 September 2020, Groupe Lactalis announced an agreement to acquire
Kraft Heinz The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), commonly known as Kraft Heinz (), is an American multinational food company formed by the merger of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. and the H.J. Heinz Company co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh. Kraft Heinz is t ...
's natural cheese operations in North America and internationally for $3.2 billion. The U.S. Department of Justice ruled that Lactalis must divest the Athenos and
Polly-O Polly-O is an American brand of cheese products, currently owned by BelGioioso Cheese Inc. The original Polly-O manufacturing company had been established in 1899, operating independently until it was acquired by Kraft Foods Inc. in 1986. Kraft ow ...
cheese brands. In April 2023, Lactalis American Group announced an investment of $32 million to construct a new whey-processing facility in
South Buffalo South Buffalo is a neighborhood that makes up the southern third of the City of Buffalo, New York. Traditionally known for its large Irish-American community, this community also has a strong presence of various other nationalities. The once-he ...
, boosting its production of the ingredient by 30%. In September 2024, Lactalis Group announced the acquisition of
General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...
' US yogurt business to expand its yogurt business in the United States market, pending regulatory approval.


Operations

Owned by the Belgian holding company BSA International SA, which is controlled by the Besnier family that founded Lactalis, Lactalis in 2015 had global revenues of 16.5 billion euros. Lactalis employs 75,000 people worldwide, at 237 production sites in 43 countries. The headquarters for Lactalis American Group, Inc. is located in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
.


Brands

The group operates in eight divisions: *Lactalis cheeses with Président – Rouy Lepetit Bridélight Galbani Rondelé Munster's Little Friends *Lactalis Butter & Creams with Président – Bridélice Bridélight Primrose *Lactel with Awakening – Day after day Morning Light *Lactalis AOC with Pochat – Istara Beulet Salakis Lanquetot Roquefort Société Golden Ball Lou Pérac The Ruby Raguin The Stone Bridge *Lactalis consumption AFH with Président – Society Bridel Locatelli *Lactalis industry with BBA – Calciane Prolacta *Tendriade Veal with Tendriade – Eurovo Voréal *Lactalis International with Président – Sorrento Valbreso Galbani Sorrento Locatelli Invernizzi *LNUF with The Milkmaid – Yoco Flanby Sveltesse Vienna Greek Yogurt Kremly BA Fold Lactalis owns 198 industrial sites in 55 countries including the US, Romania, Poland, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia (" სანტე" brand), United Kingdom, Australia and as of 2011, Canada and South Africa. Lactalis mostly produces yogurt, butter, cheese, powdered milk, baby formula and milk drinks.


Australian Brands

*Breaka Flavoured Milk *
Galbani Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy pr ...
*Ice Break *Lemnos *
OAK An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
* Pauls * Président *Vaalia


Canadian Brands

Lactalis carries a number of brands unique to the Canadian market: *aMOOza *Astro *Balderson *Beatrice * Bfit *Black Diamond *Cheesestrings *Cracker Barrel *Enjoy! *iÖGO and iÖGO nanö *Khaas *Lactantia *Olympic *P’tit Quebéc


Controversies

In August 2016, French farmers blockaded the company's headquarters in Laval, protesting what they saw as price fixing. In January 2018, the company had to withdraw 12 million boxes of baby formula due to a salmonella contamination. They were accused of trying to hide the initial discovery of contamination, which led to the crisis. In 2020 allegations were made that 38 of Lactalis's production plants in France had breached environmental regulations, and had been doing so for a number of years. Lactalis stated it had invested €60 million in improving wastewater treatment plants. In February 2023, Lactalis Group and Celia Laiterie de Craon, a company linked to the group, were charged with aggravated deception, involuntary injuries and non-execution of withdrawal and recall measures in a five-year-old case where babies were diagnosed with salmonellosis after consuming the French dairy group's infant milk products, with both firms placed under judicial supervision with a bond of €300,000 each. In July 2023, Lactalis Australia was fined by the Federal Court for breaching the Dairy Code of Conduct in 2020. In February 2024, the Spanish fined Lactalis with 11.69 million euros for forming a cartel with other milk companies to avoid competition when buying milk from Spanish farmers between 2000 and 2013. The farmers can now further sue for damages. In February 2024, police officers from the French National Fiscal Offenses Repression Brigade (BNRDF) raided the offices of Lactalis as well as its CEO's private mansion on suspicion of tax evasion. Lactalis is the target of a preliminary investigation by the French National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) into aggravated tax fraud and aggravated laundering of tax fraud.


Russian activities

Lactalis, alongside Savencia, has attracted interest from Russian business figures, including Sergey Bachin, head of the Agranta group, who has reportedly expressed interest in their assets. However, both companies have shown no intention of leaving the market, raising concerns about their unwavering commitment to maintaining operations.


Controversies in Italy

Rai 3 Rai 3 (formerly Rai Tre) is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It was launched on 15 December 1979 and its programming is centred towards cultural a ...
's
PresaDiretta ''Presa Diretta'' is a television program focused on journalistic in-depth analysis, airing on Rai 3 in prime time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television s ...
aired a special report titled "Italia in vendita," highlighting the increasing foreign acquisitions in Italy's agri-food sector, from North to South. The focus was on the dairy and cheese industries, particularly iconic products like mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano, which have been taken over by the French multinational Lactalis. The investigation explored operations at Parmalat's Collecchio plant, Nuova Castelli in Reggio Emilia, and Alival in Reggio Calabria and Tuscany. The report concluded that Lactalis sought to integrate Italy's DOP products and brands—such as Galbani, Parmalat, Leerdammer, Castelli, Invernizzi, and the more recent acquisition of Ambrosi—into its global portfolio. It aimed to leverage Parmalat's international presence in Africa and Latin America, while closing down plants considered non-essential, such as Alival in Calabria and Tuscany, sparking controversy over a lack of social responsibility. Lactalis faced significant backlash for its decision to shut down two production facilities: one in San Gregorio, Reggio Calabria, and another in
Ponte Buggianese Ponte Buggianese () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about southwest of Pistoia. Ponte Buggianese borders the following municipalities: Buggiano, Chie ...
, Tuscany. The closure, impacting 80 workers and their families in Reggio Calabria, was widely condemned by local authorities and unions for the negative impact on the regional economy. Lactalis, which acquired Alival through the Castelli Group, justified the closures citing financial challenges worsened by the pandemic and international crises. Despite protests, the San Gregorio plant officially closed in January 2023, with only 4 out of 84 employees being relocated. Swiss Journalist Klaus Davi strongly criticized the decision, stating: “The closure of the Lactalis plant in Reggio Calabria is an indefensible disgrace. Sending 80 workers home, pushing 80 families into poverty in a city like Reggio, is no small matter, especially when Italian food excellence is being celebrated.” In contrast, Tuscany's regional government took swift action, engaging local entrepreneurs to create favorable conditions for reemployment at the Ponte Buggianese plant. As a result of these efforts, 45 out of the 56 workers will be re-employed, providing stability after Lactalis’ decision.


See also

*
List of cheesemakers This is a list of notable cheesemakers. Cheesemakers are people or companies that make cheese, who have developed the knowledge and skills required to convert milk into cheese. Cheesemaking involves controlling precisely the types and amounts of ...
*
List of companies of France France is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in western Europe, as well as Overseas France, several overseas regions and territories. A member of the Group of Seven, Group of 7 (formerly G8) leading industrialised countries ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Dairy products companies of France Cheesemakers Multinational dairy companies Multinational food companies Multinational companies headquartered in France Conglomerate companies of France Mayenne Food and drink companies established in 1933 Conglomerate companies established in 1933 French companies established in 1933 Besnier family French brands Companies based in Pays de la Loire Privately held companies of France Family-owned companies