L A Dreyfus Co history

By 1851, Dreyfus had begun trading wheat from neighboring farms as well, and in that year incorporated what is considered to be the world's first international grain trading company.

The company's trading activity expanded quickly in its first decade, and in 1858 it moved its trading focus to the more international Berne market.

1909: Company opens an office in Duluth, Minnesota, and begins trading durum wheat.

1911: Cotton trading begins from new operations in Brazil.

The company also ventured into Australia, setting up an office in Melbourne in 1913.

Despite its setback in Russia, the company remained the world's "King of Wheat," a position it held through the Great Depression and up to the outbreak of World War II. International expansion continued, with new markets including South Africa, where the company opened an office in 1924.

In 1932, the company traded in its fleet of eight ships for a new fleet of high-speed vessels designed and built for Louis Dreyfus under the guidance of Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, son of Charles Louis-Dreyfus.

Louis-Dreyfus therefore extended the group's trading activities beyond grain for the first time in 1971, with an entry into the property development market.

1985: Louis Dreyfus becomes one of the first to trade oil and natural gas commodities, launching Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas.

Such was the case in 1988 when the group bought an orange processing plant in Matao, Brazil.

The company also began leasing oil storage terminals, before buying its own from Unocal in 1992, as its trading activity in that sector topped 70 million barrels per year.

Telecommunications became one of the group's most dynamic new operational areas at the turn of the century, with the launch of LDCom Networks in 1998.

2002: LDCom acquires Belgacom, 9Telecom, and KAPTECH to become one of top three French telecommunications wholesale providers.