On July 2023 Danone, a French multinational food-products corporation ¨has taken note of the decision of the Russian authorities aiming at placing Danone Russia under temporary external administration of the Russian authorities.¨ Later there were rumors that Danone plans to sell Russian operations to Chechnya-linked businessman. And finally, in May 2024 Danone has finalized the sale of its Russian operations, accounting for about 5% of its global sales. The new owner of the company is the owner of one of the biggest dairy company from the republic I was born in, “Vamin Tatarstan” and the new name of Danone Corp. now is Health & Nutrition.
But let’s get back to the roots. Do you know the history of the company (Danone) and its evolution? It was created in Barcelona in 1919. First office of this world-wide-known corporation was on the street I used to live – calle Corsega.
As you might found on the Internet, the company was founded by Isaak Carasso. He began producing yogurt in Barcelona from 1919 using cultures from the Pasteur Institute and the study of Ilya Mechnikov. Isaaac Carasso was a Thessaloniki-born Sephardic Jewish physician and had a son, Daniel, which nickname was Danone. Obviously, he named the company in honor of his son. On the web-site of the company it says that Isaac was concerned about his son’s health, that’s why he decided to investigate the subject further and continued developing the technologies of his yogurt and opens a scientific labarotry after moving the business from Spain to Paris.
It says that it was easier to build business in France, that’s why he decides to move the company to France and opens the first retail outlet on rue André Messager in Paris in 1929. Isaac clearly had a commercial acumen, since he creates the brand’s first advertising slogan: “Delicious and healthy, Danone yogurt is the right dessert for happy, healthy digestion.” In this message he merged enjoyment and health, which seems to be a right choice. By the way, before retail outlet was opened, Danone yogurts were selling in Pharmacies, just like Coca-Cola 🙂
American Dream
In 1942, Isaac’s son, Daniel Carasso moved the company to the US, New York. For overseas audience Danone needed packaging re-branding. Daniel Carasso partnered with the Swiss-born Spaniard Juan Metzger and changed the brand name to Dannon to sound more American, because “Danone” sounded too soft for the American market.
Ceramic jars were replaced by glass small jars and new chapter of American advertising style has begun.
Back to Spain
In 1968 Danone launched the first TV ad and the main character was a doll. The slogan was simple, but pretty viral: “Dame Danone, Quiero Danone”, which means “Give me Danone, I want Danone”.
Here is the Map of Danone expansion during its history:
1919: Spain
1928: France
1943: USA
1949: North Africa
1955: Monaco
1962: Belgium
1967: England, Netherlands, Germany, Luxemburg
1968: Italy
1969: Switzerland
Daniel Carasso and Antoine Riboud, 1972
