Bonduelle

Bonduelle S.A.

Type	Société Anonyme
Industry	Food processing Waste Management
Founded	1853
Headquarters	Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
Key people	Christophe Bonduelle
Products	Canned food, frozen food
Revenue	1 921 millions € (2013/2014)
Net income	15 millions € (2013/2014)
Number of employees	9,569 (in 2013/2014)
Website	www.bonduelle.com

Bonduelle is a French company producing processed vegetables.

For over 70 years, Bonduelle has experienced rapid, steady growth in the canned and frozen vegetables industry. Bonduelle products are sold through traditional distribution channels (supermarkets, mini-markets, etc.) and through catering circuits (restaurants, institutional food service, school dining halls, staff canteens, etc.).

History^[1]

The company was founded in 1853, when Louis Bonduelle-Dalle (23 October 1802 - 13 November 1880) and Louis Lesaffre-Roussel (1802–1869) established a grain and juniper berry distillery in Marquette-lez-Lille. On June 17, 1862, they expanded to a farm in Renescure, which they turned into a grain alcohol distillery.

In 1901 the company and its seven production sites were divided into three family-owned companies: Bonduelle, Lesaffre and Lemaître.

In 1926 the business began canning peas. Booming demand in the 1930s enabled the company to expand, but the firm's operations were suspended in 1940 through the end of World War II. With the war's end, however, demand continued to grow, and the company began purchasing vegetables to supplement its own harvests.

In the mid-1960s, the company began to improve its exports, and in 1968, began freezing vegetables. Several European subsidiaries were launched: in Germany in 1969, in Italy in 1972 and in England in 1973. By 1973, exports accounted for half of the company's turnover.

In 1980, Bonduelle acquired the main Belgian canned food company, Marie Thumas, and added the acquisition of Cassegrain in 1989. The company continued to grow internationally, adding subsidiaries in Brazil in 1994 and in Argentina in 1996.

In 1997, the company entered the "fresh processed" business with the acquisition of Salade Minute.

In 2004, Bonduelle Group created the Louis Bonduelle Foundation, which aims to promote the public usefulness of vegetables by putting the benefits of vegetables to the public good.

In 2007, Bonduelle completed its acquisition of Canadian firm Aliments Carrière (Arctic Gardens brand), a leader in vegetables and frozen foods, which enabled gave it access to 39,500 hectares of farmland.

In 2010, Bonduelle bought France Champignon, and mushrooms have become Bonduelle's number two vegetable (after sweetcorn).

In 2011, In Italy, Bonduelle inaugurated the San Paolo d’Argon plant, the largest packaged green salad production site. Bonduelle took over the Kelet Food assets in Hungary and the Cecab Group assets in Russia. In the USA, Bonduelle bought 3 frozen food plants and a packaging site from the Allens Group.

In 2013, for its 160th anniversary, Bonduelle revealed its VEGEGO project, a detailed roadmap that will enable to group to become the world leader in healthy living through vegetables (2025 objective). At the same time, Bonduelle published its website, fully dedicated to Sustainable Development.

Brands

• Bonduelle (France, Italy, Germany, Benelux, Brazil)
• Cassegrain (France)
• Globus (ex-CEI)
• Arctic Gardens (Canada)

Markets

• Number 1 in Europe for tinned vegetables and number 2 in frozen vegetables.

Financial data^[2]

• 9,569 full-time equivalent employees in 2013/2014
• 48 industrial sites
• 100,000 hectares cultivated by 3,440 farmers under contract.
• Canned goods make up 51%^[3] of turnover, fresh vegetables (including the line of ready-to-eat products)account for 22%^[4] and frozen foods account for the remaining 27% of the company's sales turnover.

Stock market data^[5]

• Shares traded on the Paris Stock Exchange
• Member of the CAC Mid & Small, CAC All Shares, CAC All Tradable
• ISIN code = FR0000063935
• Face value = Euro
• Shareholder breakdown:
  • General partners 27.63%, others members of Bonduelle family 24.75%, public 38.80%, employees and treasury shares 8.81%

Governance^[6]

• Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: Christophe Bonduelle since 2001
• Director, Bonduelle Development: Benoît Bonduelle
• Director of External Relations and Sustainable Development: Jean-Bernard Bonduelle
• Human Resources Director: Bruno Rauwel
• Administrative and Financial Director: Grégory Sanson
• Director, Bonduelle Long Life Europe : Philippe Carreau
• Director, Bonduelle Americas: Daniel Vielfaure
• Director, Bonduelle Fresh Europe: Pascal Bredeloux

References

External links

• Homepage of Bonduelle group
• Bonduelle Youtube Channel
• Louis Bonduelle Foundation