The foundation of our company was built by two men in particular: Charles Gervais and Isaac Carasso. In 1919, physician Isaac Carasso - founder of Danone - developed his first yogurt. The inspiration for the name of both his yogurt and company came from Carasso's son Daniel, whom he affectionately called Danón ("little Daniel"). A century later, Danone stands for the finest yogurt indulgence. Our ambition to contribute to a healthy and balanced lifestyle with high-quality products has remained. Building on the latest scientific findings, our dairy factories produce fresh yogurt and dairy products day after day that are trusted by people all around the world.
Our History
In 1850, Frenchman Charles Gervais began producing cream cheese at his eponymous company in Normandy.
In 1919, Isaac Carasso, the founder of Danone, began developing a recipe for yogurt in Barcelona to help children with diarrhea. This yogurt was sold exclusively in pharmacies in the early years. Isaac Carasso named his yogurt line after his son Daniel, for whom he used the term of affection "Danón".
In 1929, the company C.H. Gervais AG established its first German branch in Cologne with an import business for cream cheese. Daniel Carasso followed in his father's footsteps by founding the "Société Parisienne du Yoghurt Danone" and by opening the first sales outlet on Rue André Messager in Paris.
In 1930 , the C.H. Gervais AG took over the Rosenheim district cooperative dairy plant.
In 1956, the C.H. Gervais AG acquired Vogt, the central dairy plant in Ochsenfurt.
In 1967, the companies C.H. Gervais AG and Danone merged on an international level.
In 1969, the German Gervais Danone AG was founded. Since 1996, the company has been operating as Danone GmbH.
In 1972, a new production facility was opened in the Gervaisstrasse in Ochsenfurt, which exists to this day. On April 24th of said year, the first production of Dany+Sahne was kicked off at the Ochsenfurt plant. Additionally, Danone established a subsidiary in Austria and launched its traditional brand, Dany Sahne, in the Austrian market.
In 1983, the production of FruchtZwerge began at the Rosenheim plant. They were produced without preservatives for the very first time.
In 1996, Actimel launched in Germany and Austria and became the first probiotic yogurt drink on Austrian shelves.
In 2004, the production of Activia was implemented at the Ochsenfurt plant.
In 2007, Danone aquired the Dutch company Royal Numico, the leading manufacturer of baby and medical foods on an international level. With this expansion of its business sectors, the Danone Group strengthened its position towards the promotion of health and underlined its philosophy of offering everyone a unique taste experience and healthy products day after day.
In 2013, the CO₂ emissions from 2008-2013 were reduced by 30% at the plants in Ochsenfurt and Rosenheim.
In 2017, Danone’s new mission statement was born: 'One Planet. One Health'
In 2018, Danone entered into the organic segment with the launch of FruchtZwerge Organic.
In 2019, Danone conquered the plant-based market for the first time with Activia 100% plant-based. That year, it was also announced that Ochsenfurt will become the first Danone plant in Europe to be converted into a flexible innovation plant. Through a series of investments, Danone has been expanding the Ochsenfurt plant to enable it to respond more quickly and efficiently to consumer needs in the future. In the coming years, it will also produce non-refrigerated dairy products and plant-based products in addition to the traditionally refrigerated yogurts and desserts.
Our philosophy
Health is the foundation stone of our company. It was laid by Danone founder Isaac Carasso in 1919, when he developed the first yogurt to treat diarrhea in children. That was the very first Danone product on the market. Today, we are convinced more than ever that good food - in combination with a balanced diet - plays a crucial role in developing and maintaining good health.
With this philosophy in mind, we regularly adapt to changing demands and implement current nutritional recommendations in our products. And because lifestyles and eating habits change throughout life, we invest in the research and (further) development of our products. In particular, we pay special attention to adjusting nutritional requirements and tastes to different countries and regions.
As one of the leading companies in the fresh dairy market, the health and well-being of our consumers is of upmost importance to us. Their trust is at the heart of everything we do and is what drives us.
We want to offer healthy products with unique taste experiences and have committed ourselves to adhere to and continuously develop the following principles: