Emmanuel Besnier: Sales of President Brand Products Approaching €3 Billion Worldwide
Source: The DairyNews
Emmanuel Besnier, CEO of Lactalis, in a major interview with lsa-conso.fr, shared his insights on the dairy industry and agriculture as a whole, addressing important questions. DairyNews.today highlights some of the most interesting quotes.
Lactalis has faced criticism from agricultural unions, politicians, and distributors in recent weeks of 2024, collectively condemning it for lack of sympathy for farmer-suppliers and transparency.
"In 2023, Lactalis celebrated its 90th anniversary. We approached this milestone by investing in the renovation of our cheese factory in Domfront, Orne, with an investment of over €70 million. Our brands are growing, especially Galbani and President. Sales of President branded products exceeded €1 billion in France and are approaching €3 billion worldwide," Emmanuel Besnier said.
The company's leader noted that Lactalis has also seen good growth in newer brands such as Siggi's and Lindahls, which have outperformed the market average in protein product segments.
"Over the past two years, we have experienced exceptional inflation in all our production costs, with raw materials accounting for 75-80% of our cost of goods sold, and over two years it has increased by 30%, forcing us to raise our prices," noted Emmanuel Besnier.
The CEO emphasized that Lactalis is a family company that has always been faithful to one market - dairy products, valuing all categories of this business, from consumer milk to cheeses, creams, butter, yogurts, as well as powdered milk and industrial products. "From the very beginning, we have invested in having good, competitive products at the best price and, therefore, accessible to all," said Emmanuel Besnier.
The leader noted that France currently accounts for slightly less than 20% of Lactalis' overall sales.
"In 2022-2023, the export part of our business was challenging; as for the domestic market, we were fortunate to have consumers who supported our industry. Despite price increases in recent years, the French continued to buy dairy products," Emmanuel Besnier said.
"In 2023, Lactalis celebrated its 90th anniversary. We approached this milestone by investing in the renovation of our cheese factory in Domfront, Orne, with an investment of over €70 million. Our brands are growing, especially Galbani and President. Sales of President branded products exceeded €1 billion in France and are approaching €3 billion worldwide," Emmanuel Besnier said.
The company's leader noted that Lactalis has also seen good growth in newer brands such as Siggi's and Lindahls, which have outperformed the market average in protein product segments.
"Over the past two years, we have experienced exceptional inflation in all our production costs, with raw materials accounting for 75-80% of our cost of goods sold, and over two years it has increased by 30%, forcing us to raise our prices," noted Emmanuel Besnier.
The CEO emphasized that Lactalis is a family company that has always been faithful to one market - dairy products, valuing all categories of this business, from consumer milk to cheeses, creams, butter, yogurts, as well as powdered milk and industrial products. "From the very beginning, we have invested in having good, competitive products at the best price and, therefore, accessible to all," said Emmanuel Besnier.
The leader noted that France currently accounts for slightly less than 20% of Lactalis' overall sales.
"In 2022-2023, the export part of our business was challenging; as for the domestic market, we were fortunate to have consumers who supported our industry. Despite price increases in recent years, the French continued to buy dairy products," Emmanuel Besnier said.
