The Dannon Company, Inc., has its roots in Spain, where Danone was founded by Isaac Carasso in 1919. Having previously lived in the Balkans where yogurt was a dietary staple, Carasso decided to introduce this healthy product in Barcelona. He opened a small yogurt business named "Danone," meaning "Little Daniel" after his son.
Carasso was aware of scientific advances that had been made with fermented milk by Elie Metchnikoff at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He perfected the first industrial manufacturing process by combining the traditional method of making yogurt with the pure cultures that had been isolated in Paris. The younger Carasso, Daniel, learned the family business in Spain and decided to establish Danone in France in 1929.
During World War II, Daniel Carasso immigrated to the United States. In 1942, he founded the first American yogurt company, Dannon Milk Products, Inc., in the Bronx, NY. He changed the name Danone to DANNON to make the brand sound more American. In 1943, Carasso met Joe Metzger, who helped him with the administrative work of the new company.
DANNON faced a major hurdle at its inception - few Americans had ever tried yogurt, then a staple in many European countries. Distribution was very limited at first and was confined to the local New York area.
In 1947, a breakthrough came when DANNON introduced yogurt with strawberry fruit on the bottom. This innovation appealed to Americans who found the sweetness of the fruit to be the perfect complement for the tart taste of yogurt. Blueberry and raspberry fruit, as well as orange and lemon flavors, were quickly added to the product line and started to become the favorite yogurt of America. The company grew rapidly, and in 1950, moved to a larger facility in Long Island while expanding its sales area to Philadelphia and Boston. DANNON then introduced a lowfat yogurt designed to appeal to health enthusiasts and dieters.
In 1951, Daniel Carasso returned to Paris to manage the family's businesses in France and Spain. He gave the management and the presidency of DANNON to Joe Metzger (helped by his son Juan) with the objective of looking for an eventual buyer. Daniel Carasso maintained regular contact with DANNON by frequent trips to America and regular correspondence with the Metzgers. Dannon Milk Products Inc. was sold to Beatrice Foods in 1959 with unanimous consent of its board of directors.
During the 1960s, Beatrice embarked on a rapid westward expansion of DANNON, acquiring a second manufacturing facility in Minster, OH. In 1979, a plant was opened in Fort Worth, TX, and Dannon became the first perishable dairy product sold coast to coast.
While DANNON was growing in America, Daniel Carasso was leading Danone to rapid development in Europe. To accelerate its diversification and world expansion, Danone merged with Gervais, the leading fresh cheese business in France in 1967, and with BSN, the leading glass container and beverages company, in 1973. The resulting company, BSN Gervais Danone, became one of the world's largest food manufacturers present in 30 countries worldwide. In 1994, BSN Gervais Danone took the name Groupe Danone.
In March 1986, DANNON moved its headquarters to White Plains, NY. During the next decade, DANNON introduced new, highly successful products such as DANNON® Light, Blended, Sprinkl'ins®, Danimals® and Double Delights.
Dannon opened the West Jordan, Utah plant in 1997 as a bottled water facility. By 2000, the plant was manufacturing yogurt exclusively under the Activia, Dannon, Light& Fit, Dan-o-nino and Danimal brands.
Today, DANNON is one of America's top two yogurt manufacturers.
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