Responsible innovation

Growth and social impact

In 2011, the Bel Group established Bel Explorer, its own idea incubator, in response to a call from Bel Chairman and CEO – Antoine Fiévet – to link the Group’s growth strategy to the values of sharing. A true laboratory of ideas for new business models that are sustainable, profitable and highly impactful socially, Bel Explorer is an entity dedicated to developing brands for populations with lower purchasing power. A team of five people develops alternative approaches to products, distribution channels and manufacturing, to make Bel products more accessible by finding the right balance between economic viability and maximum social impact.

Sharing Cities

Launched in 2013, the Sharing Cities program is aimed at using existing street vendor distribution networks in several major cities in emerging countries where Bel is present, to sell The Laughing Cow®-branded products, while offering the street vendors access to a host of training, health insurance and financial services.

The Bel street vendors community includes more than 7,083 street vendors in seven cities. Thanks to the program, 2,329 street vendors are covered by health insurance, 1,059 have opened a bank account and more than 905 have been trained to manage their micro activity. The ambition in 2025 is to accompany 80,000 street vendors in 30 cities!