History

We are in 1956 and in the village of Illoud in France's Haute-Marne department. Jean-Noël Bongrain, running counter to the market of the time, conceives and creates a cheese unlike any other: Caprice des Dieux was born. Its recipe? Milk, cream, natural lactic yeasts, a pinch of salt, nothing else. An iconic cheese with purity as its nature. It was that innovation that exemplified the invention of cheese specialties and became the foundation of Groupe Bongrain's specialty strategy.

The family company sets out to conquer Europe and starts developing its export activity. It implants commercial roots in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy with Caprice des Dieux and Tartare, and then in Spain with a manufacturing facility and the development of the Arias brand.

Cheese and dairy products at last take their place on supermarket shelves! Fromagerie des Chaumes, the pioneer manufacturer of cheese sold over the counter in supermarkets, launches three cheese specialties: Chaumes, manufactured in the Périgord province of France; Belle des champs, for which the advertising slot and its jingle composed by Richard Gotainer become emblematic of their time; and finally Saint Albray, manufactured in the Bearn province in the French Pyrennees and still the market leader in the tasty soft ripened cheese category.

The Group pursues its global expansion. Always a precursor, it sets foot in USA as early 1971 with Alouette, and then in Brazil in 1975 with Polenghi, the brand of reference for quality cheese. In the 1990s, it's the turn of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland, and then in the 2000s Slovakia, the Ukraine and Serbia. The group's credo? Boost strong local brands  with the help of dynamic sales and advertising support, helping them acquire market leader positions.

Luissier Bordeau Chesnel joins the Group, bringing with it the company's famous traditional pork rillettes manufactured near Le Mans. Its Bordeau Chesnel heritage brand quickly becomes the market leader with its combination of tradition and inventiveness and its celebrated advertising slogan "We don't hold the sames values". An innovative division specializing in charcuterie and seafood products has later been developped, including the Coraya range of delicious and practical surimmi products and the creation of Saint Agaûne, a unique cured meat specialty which revolutionized the world of sausages.

Following Révillon, a centennial Lyon-based brand famous for its chocolate papillotes, in 1984 the Group extends its diversification into chocolate with the acquisition of Valrhona, the brand of reference for master chocolatiers. The Group becomes a key player within the universe of premium chocolate. Based at Tain-l'Hermitage in France's Drôme department, Valrhona selects the finest of cocoa beans by actively developing lasting relationships with cocoa producers. 

In 1995, the celebrated La Maison du Chocolat chocolate store joins the Group. Its founder, Robert Linxe, had conceived it as the first leading Paris house for chocolate creations, chocolate's equivalent of a haute couture house of fashion. A year later, the De Neuville store network joined the Group, complementing the "boutique" operations and democratizing French quality chocolate. More recently, the Group's premium chocolate food service (or chocolate for professionals) division has also grown its wings with, in France, Weiss and Chocolatree and, in Ecuador, Républica del cacao.

A new cheese company is founded in partnership with Sodiaal: Compagnie des Fromages et RichesMonts (CF&R) which develops its camembert brands Coeur de Lion and Rustique, and its RichesMonts brand for raclette cheese, both in France and internationally.

With the takeover of Compagnie des Fromages et RichesMonts, Savencia Fromage & Dairy strengthens its position in the cheese market with three strong brands: Le Rustique, RichesMonts and Coeur de Lion.

Indeed, the shift towards flexitarian diets opens a wide range of possibilities to plant-based substitutes. In this growing market, led by the United States, Savencia has strengthened its plant-based offer with the acquisition of Hope. In Europe, Bresso 100% Pflanzlich was launched in the pioneering German market, while Vivre Vert in France is the first cross-functional French plant-based brand in four major dairy shelves. This was followed in the same time by plant-based products such as Tartare 100% Végétal. The launch of these products is the result of a fruitful collaboration between the Production and the R&D departments, with the emphasis on taste, functionality and the most natural recipes possible.