Made in Jura: Bel's beginnings
In 1865, Jules Bel set up his comté cheese ripening and trading business in France’s Jura region. His son, Léon Bel, took over the business following his death in 1904. After World War I, the nascent cheese-making industry began to take off, and Léon Bel envisioned the tasty, affordable, easy-to-carry and easy-to-keep potential of processed cheese. In 1922, he embarked on a manufacturing adventure and founded Fromageries Bel, a French corporation (société anonyme).