Lactalis history

In 1930, André Besnier, a barrel maker at the time, sees one of his pieces break during a demonstration to buyers.

19 October 1933 marks the start of the Lactalis saga.

Aged only 27, Michel Besnier already has significant experience within the cheese factory having worked at his father’s side since 1946.

The company then changes legal form to become a limited company (SARL), taking the name of “Société Laitière de Laval A. Besnier et Cie”. By 1948, the supply of milk reaches 10,000 litres.

When André’s son Michel Besnier took over the family business in 1955, the company had begun to expand throughout France and Europe.

But after a flood destroyed the factory's entire dairy production in 1966, Michel Besnier became determined to protect the company from such calamities in the future by expanding its operations to multiple plants and diversifying the company's dairy products.

The brand Président The year 1968 marks a turning point for the company with the birth of Président camembert.

In 1969, Besnier made the first of a long string of acquisitions, buying the cheese maker Bourdon, based in the Normandy region.

In 1972, convinced of the potential of the Président brand and its camembert, Michel Besnier takes a bold step by creating a brand new modern cheese factory for Président in Domfront, in the pastures of Normandy.

In 1973, the company acquired a cheese making plant in Charchigné from Preval and followed that acquisition with the purchase of the Buquet cheese dairies.

1974 Besnier forms the Société Laiterière de Normandie with rival Bridel.

Another takeover followed in 1976, when Besnier acquired Stenval Sud.

Following the high demand, a new dedicated unit is opened in 1978 in Isigny-le-Buat.

Then, in 1979, Besnier expanded its butter production unit, building a butter plant in Isigny le Buat.

By 1980 Lactalis opened its first United States office in New York City and continued expansion with more offices, plants, and distribution centers across the country.

The company lands in the US in 1981, in Belmont (Wisconsin) through an acquisition, reinforced six years later by the construction of a factory in California.

When the Société de Collecte des Prodicteirs de Preval (SCPP) went bankrupt in 1982, Besnier purchased that group's 34 percent stake in the FRF 3 billion-per-year Preval dairy operation.

The company also began industrial production in Villalba, Spain in 1983.

In 1985, Emmental production is transferred to western France (to Charchigné in Mayenne), a region where dairy production is the strongest.

In 1987, the Group opens a new plant in Turlock, California.

Combined ice cream operations with Petersville in the QUF partnership & soldPaul's halfshare in 1988

The next phase of the company's expansion began in 1989.

In France in 1990, two major companies join the Besnier Group: historical rival Bridel and the Société des Caves de Roquefort.

In January 1991, Besnier reinforced its position with the acquisition of another family-controlled cheese producer, Girod, based in Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, adding that company's FRF 240 million in sales.

By October 1992, Besnier caused a new stir in the French dairy industry.

To finance the Roquefort acquisition, Besnier set up a subsidiary unit, Société pour le Financement de l'Industrie Laitière (SOFIL), which increased its participation in Roquefort to 69.5 percent in 1993.

1. "How a French Connection Found a Taste for the UK," Grocer, January 15, 1994.

In 1995, the company expanded its United States operation, building a 60,000-square-foot facility in Belmont, Wisconsin.

In April 1996, Besnier created a joint venture in the Ukraine with Nikolaiev.

Parmalat Canada has operated in Canada since 1997 and is a subsidiary of Parmalat S.p.A of Italy.

In 1999, the Besnier Company changes the Group name to Lactalis, meeting the demands of internationalisation with a name that can be pronounced easily on all five continents.

The UHT milk produced in Vitré in Tetra Pak cartons is sold for the first time in France under the brand “Lait 2000”. Easy storage and lasting flavour make it an immediate hit.

In 2002, it purchased the remaining shares of the Bel group of soft cheeses.

During the latter half of 2004, Groupe Lactalis purchased a total of six companies in the Ukraine, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Poland.

While it continued to make strategic purchases, the company also eyed entering new markets as crucial to its future success. It also entered the Japanese consumer market in 2005 by selling its President brand in department stores and upscale supermarkets.

The two major events of this period take place in 2006, with the acquisition of the flagship Italian brand Galbani, and the creation of a European joint venture for chilled dairy products with Nestlé, which allows the brands and in particular La Laitière to return to profitable growth.

After Italy, Spain becomes a major market for Lactalis in 2010 with the acquisition of three Iberian dairy companies: Forlasa, Puleva and Sanutri, respectively operating on the cheese, drinking milk and infant nutrition markets.

In 2011, Groupe Lactalis became the #1 name in dairy following the acquisition of Parmalat.

As Coca-Cola’s key juice brand for Latin America, Del Valle largely outpaced Frica in 2013, backed by good marketing and wide distribution.

The Lactalis Group pursues development in Australia in 2014 through the company Harvey Fresh which allows the Group to cover all daily categories across Australia.

In 2016, the Lactalis Group continues to invest in its manufacturing sites in France in order to support its development.