| Lesaffre | |
| Type: | Private |
| Founder: | Louis Lesaffre |
| Location: | Marcq-en-Barœul |
| Industry: | Food |
Lesaffre is a French yeast manufacturer, and the world's largest producer.
The company was founded by Louis Lesaffre, the co-founder of Bonduelle, in the mid-19th century.[1] [2]
One of its subsidiaries, Bio Springer,[3] was founded by Baron Max de Springer in 1872 in Maisons-Alfort.[4]
In 2004, it formed a North American joint-venture with Archer Daniels Midland, known as Red Star Yeast.[5]
In 2006, the end of the malt business, via its subsidiary International Malting Company (IMC), then the fifth largest maltster in the world, created tension among the family shareholders.[6] IMC was acquired at 100% by ADM.
In 2007, it was the world's largest producer of yeast.[2] In 2011, it bought the factory of "Voronezh Yeast" LLC in Voronezh.
After the foundation of the Lesaffre Advanced Fermentations (LEAF) subsidiary, the Swiss biofuel start-up Butalco, founded by Eckhard Boles and Gunter Festel, was acquired in July 2014.[7] With this acquisition, Lesaffre entered the market for second generation, waste-based bioethanol and biobutanol.[8]
In 2014, it had an annual turnover of 1.5 billion euros, 7,700 employees and 80 subsidiaries in various countries.[9] The capital is not listed on the stock exchange, but shared among 400 shareholders from the founders' family, whose professional fortune is estimated at 3 billion euros.[10]
In 2018, the group took control of Tunisian Rayen Food Industries, which specializes in the production of baker's yeast, and of a Serbian Alltech plant specializing in yeast extracts.[11]
In 2021, it was ranked 8th on FoodTalks' list of Top 30 Global Probiotic Food Ingredient Companies.[12] According to current data, the company generates annual sales of €2 billion with more than 10,000 employees and 80 subsidiaries in 50 countries.[13]