 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Lesaffre Yeast Corporation Milwaukee, WI 53201 |
 |
||
In 1853, Louis Lesaffre and Louis Bonduelle, two farmer's sons from northern France, got together to build a plant producing alcohol from grain and juniper berries at Marquette-lez-Lille. Originally, yeast was nothing more than a by-product from the process of manufacturing alcohol from the grain. |
||
 |
||
| In 1871 the Austrian Baron Max von Springer, owner of an excellent distillery at Maisons-Alfort, introduced from Vienna the idea of extracting yeast from the grain fermentation wort and selling it to bakers. Up until that time, the bakers had used their own sourdough, sometimes accompanied by residual brewery yeast. The following year, Lesaffre and Bonduele developed the process of manufacturing fresh yeast at Marcq-en-Baroeul, with the operation being housed in a former mill. The Societe Industrielle Lesaffre grew from this site. This company gradually emerged as the driving force and the platform for the industrial and commercial expansion of the yeast branch of the Group. |
||
 |
||
| By the turn of the century, the company was already selling abroad, with export destinations including Great Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. Although this may seem perfectly normal today, at the time it was a major feat due to the transportation and distribution conditions of the day. Following the Second World War, a series of technological breakthroughs and innovations, backed by establishment of an efficient export sales network, enabled Lesaffre to achieve sustained growth. A recognized master in the field of bio-industries, Lesaffre structured itself around its core activities: yeast, malt, and bio-conversions. In order to be geographically closer to its customers and to be able to offer them the very best possible service, Lesaffre went on to establish itself on a worldwide basis across five continents. |
||
|
|