Parmalat Dairy (1961 - 2003)

The history of Parmalat, which started in 1961, can be divided into three main periods :

Parmalat Finanziaria S.p.A represents the period of the "old" Parmalat which has its origins in 1961 and which ended in December 2003 with the outbreak of the financial scandal and the resulting Extraordinary Administration procedure.(French document)

Parmalat Canada has operated in Canada since 1997 and is a subsidiary of Parmalat S.p.A of Italy. In 1997 Parmalat Canada acquired Beatrice Dairies, Lactancia, Black Diamond Cheese, Astro Yogurts and other brands as Ault Foods, making it one of Canada's largest food companies.

Beatrice Foods Canada Ltd. is a Toronto, Ontario based dairy unit of Parmalat Canada. The Canadian unit of Beatrice Foods was founded in 1969, and was separated from Beatrice Foods in 1978. In 1997 Beatrice Foods Canada was acquired by Parmalat. At first, Parmalat Canada decided to drop the Beatrice name from the company's products, but was reinstated in late 2005 during which the Italian parent company was being investigated. Consequently, the Beatrice's Canadian unit was not affected by the buyout of its founders and remained in business as one of Canada's largest food processing concerns.

In Victoriaville (Quebec) the agronomist Lionel Beaudet founded Lactantia Ltd. In 1947, Lactantia is the first Canadian butter maker to use aluminum wrapping to preserve his butter's "farm fresh goodness". In 1997, Lactancia was acquired by Parmalat Canada.

Black Diamond Cheese Limited is a Canadian cheese manufacturing company, established in 1933, by Robert F. Hart. Founded under the name "Belleville Cheddar Cheese Limited", its original purpose was to export aged Canadian cheddar to the British market. It is owned by Parmalat of Canada, since 1998.

September 1998, Parmalat acquired Astro Dairy Products.

Ault Foods Limited was a Toronto-based dairy processor and Canada's largest dairy company acquiring other dairy companies across Canada. Ault sold off parts of their business in the mid-1990s; milk division (Sealtest Dairy and Silverwood Dairy) was sold to Agropur. Ault itself was acquired by Parmalat in 1997 and the name ceased to exist.

Parmalat Dairy (2004 - 2005)

Parmalat S.p.A. and Parmalat Finanziaria S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration between January 2004 and September 2005. This is the period after the financial scandal and the process of establishing what would later become the new Parmalat S.p.A. giving birth to the new Parmalat Group.

Parmalat Dairy (2005 - 2011)

The new Parmalat S.p.A. established on October 1st, 2005. On October 6, 2005, the company was listed on the Milan Stock Exchange. Parmalat S.p.A. is the Parent Company of the new Parmalat Group; a public company with a wide-spread shareholders base established as a result of the approval of the Composition with Creditors. It is a different legal entity from Parmalat S.p.A. under Extraordinary Administration.


Short historic of "Lactalis Group".

Parmalat is controlled by the Lactalis Group since July 15, 2011. The Lactalis Group is present in 16 countries with 69 factories and in 9 countries through licensing agreements. The global brands of the Lactalis Group are Parmalat for milk and dairy products and Santàl for fruit beverages. Vaalia and Zymil are international brands dedicated to functional products with a high value added. Among other local brands that play a key role in their respective markets, the most important include: Lactantia, Black Diamond and Astro in Canada; Pauls, Ice Break and Oak in Australia; Bonnita, Everfresh, Simonsberg and Melrose in South Africa; Chef, Berna, Blu Premium, Centrale del Latte di Roma, Lactis and Latte Sole in Italy. Lactalis is a multi-national dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. It is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the second largest food products group in France, behind Danone.

Searches : Jean-Guy Comtois

Updated 2012-12-01
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