In 1929, the first international subsidiary was created, building the first international factories in the United Kingdom and Belgium.
In 1933, the Group launched the Babybel® brand.
In 1937, Robert Fievet, son-in-law of Léon Bel, was appointed CEO. He became Chairman in 1941.
From then on, nothing could stop Bel’s growth: initially active in Western Europe, the Group ventured into the United States and Morocco in the 1970s, then later into Syria, Japan and China.
In 1960, the APERICUBE® brand was launched in France, followed by the launch of KIRI® a few years later in 1966, and finally the iconic Mini Babybel® in its red wax shell in 1977.
To keep pace with changing consumer trends, Bel is constantly evolving its products – an approach that combines innovation and continuous improvement to create brands that are increasingly responsible and attentive to the daily needs of families around the world. Babybel®, for instance, has established itself as an alternative to sweet snacks, while Pik et Croq® has diversified its snack offerings.
In 2001, Antoine Fiévet took over management of the Group and initiated a renewed push for CSR innovations, while restructuring the company around a new identity: “For All. For Good.” This resulted in more diversified offerings in the fruit and vegetable sectors.
In parallel with this bold international development, Bel also focused on a selective external growth strategy, with the acquisition of Boursin® in 2007.
Bel continues to take on new industrial and commercial challenges around the world, such as the construction of the very first Laughing Cow® plant in Asia in 2011, and the construction of a Babybel® plant in the United States in 2013.
In 2015, the Group reached a turning point and announced that it was expanding its business beyond cheese products to become a major player in healthy snacking.
In 2016, the Group followed through on these plans with the acquisition of the MOM Group which will become Materne by Bel in 2023 , owner of the Materne® Pom’Potes®, GoGo squeeZ®, and Mont Blanc® brands, thereby diversifying its offerings in the fruit segment.
With its century-old expertise in fruit and dairy desserts, Materne by Bel markets the Pom’Potes®, Materne® and Mont Blanc® brands in France. Materne by Bel is pursuing its ambition to offer everyone healthier and tastier snacking products, designed in a responsible and sustainable way, using the best of nature and respecting it.
The company has enjoyed unprecedented growth for over 10 years and is helping to implement the Bel Group’s mission: to offer healthier and more responsible food to everyone.
Also in 2020, the Bel Group acquired All In Foods (a specialist in plant-based alternatives), which owned the Nature & Moi brand and launched a sixth core brand in April 2021: Nurishh®, a 100% plant-based product.
These two recent acquisitions – in addition to plant-based versions of the Group’s core brands (Boursin and Babybel) – rounded out the Group’s offerings and diversified it into three complementary segments: dairy, fruit and vegetables.
In 2022, the Group strengthened its international development with two acquisitions: the first in the form of a majority stake in the Chinese company Shandong Junjun Cheese Co., Ltd, and the second in the form of a joint venture in India, where the Group acquired a 49% stake in Britannia Dairy Private Limited (BDPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Britannia Limited.