FROMAGERIES BEL : 02/07/2012 - The Bel Group is announcing the construction of a new production plant in the United States.+
02/08/2012 | 06:58am
With this new plant, maker of The Laughing Cow®, Mini
Babybel®, Kiri®, Leerdammer® and Boursin® confirms its
international growth strategy
February 7, 2012, Chicago, Ill. - The Bel Group via its
subsidiary Bel Brands USA, today announced plans to build a
new manufacturing facility in Brookings, S.D., to produce its
Mini Babybel® cheese. This new site is intended to support
the increased business activity of the Bel Group, which,
thanks to The Laughing Cow® and Mini Babybel® brands, is the
#1 producer of cheese in portions in the United States. Bel
Brands USA also produces and sells Boursin® as well as other
local brands such as Merkts®, Kaukauna® for the American
market. Bel currently has two other production facilities in
the U.S., located in Leitchfield, Kentucky and Little Chute,
Wisconsin.
Francine Moudry, previously Director of Operations for the
Leitchfield plant, was recently appointed Project Director to
lead the planning and construction of the new Brookings
manufacturing facility.
"The Bel Group made the decision to build an international
presence very early on," states Eric de Poncins, Vice
President of the Bel Americas and Asia-Pacific Region. "The
Construction of this new production plant in the United
States is part of this approach and constitutes a prime
example of the dynamism behind Bel's growth not only in
the United States but also in a great number of other markets
around the world. This growth is the result of striking an
excellent balance between the risks and opportunities
associated with growth and implementing a strategy based on
localizing production facilities as close to our customer
bases as possible."
"The robust South Dakota dairy industry and its hard-working
Midwestern values make Brookings an ideal location for our
new plant," says Lance Chambers, General Manager of Bel
Brands USA. "Bel Brands has experienced significant growth
over the past few years, and this new plant is essential to
expanding our production capacity to meet the growing demand
for our Mini Babybel® cheeses."
The Bel Group has more than doubled in size over the past
four years. Three of the Company's core brands: Mini
Babybel®, The Laughing Cow® and Boursin® have fuelled much of
the growth. Mini Babybel®, which represents close to
one-third of Bel Brands' U.S. sales, has almost tripled in
size with consistent 25+ percent growth. To date, sales of
Mini Babybel® in the U.S. total 8,000 metric tons. To meet
the current demand, the company now imports more than 50
percent of the Mini Babybel® business.
The Bel Group will invest approximately $120 million to build
its new manufacturing plant. Plant construction is planned in
two phases. The Company will break ground on the first phase
this summer. Bel Brands expects to hire around 200 employees
when the first phase of the plant becomes fully operational
by 2014. Phase 1 of the project will have a production
capacity of approximately 10,000 metric tons. The second
phase of the plant, which is contingent on anticipated
increased market demands, is envisioned to be built in
2016-2017 and will bring another 200 jobs to the area.
About bel Brands USA
Bel Brands USA, Inc. manufactures and markets branded
cheeses, including The Laughing Cow® cheese wedges and Mini
Babybel® - America's #1 branded snacking cheese; as well as
Boursin®, Kaukauna®, Port Salut®, Leerdammer®, WisPride®,
Merkts®, Owls Nest®, Connoisseur®, and Price*s® natural and
gourmet cheese spreads. Bel Brands USA was named as one of
Chicago's "101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" from
2009 - 2011. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Ill.,
and operates two manufacturing plants in Little Chute, Wis.
and Leitchfield, Ky.
www.thelaughingcow.com
