| Type | Société Anonyme (NYSE: BON, Euronext: BON) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Headquarters | Villeneuve d'Ascq, France |
| Key people | Christophe Bonduelle |
| Products | Canned food, frozen food |
| Revenue | 1 559 millions € (2009/2010) |
| Net income | 57,7 millions € (2009/2010) |
| Employees | 10,000 (in 2010) |
| Website | www.bonduelle.com |
Bonduelle is a French company producing processed vegetables.
For over 70 years, Bonduelle has experienced rapid, steady growth in the tinned and frozen vegetables industry. Bonduelle products are sold through traditional distribution channels (supermarkets, mini-markets, etc.) and through catering circuits (restaurants, institutional food service, school dining halls, staff canteens, etc.).
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The company was founded in 1853, when Louis Bonduelle-Dalle (23 October 1802 - 13 November 1880) and Louis Lesaffre-Roussel (1802–1869) established a grain and juniper berry distillery in Marquette-lez-Lille. Then they purchased a farm in Renescure on 17 June 1862, which they turned into a grain alcohol distillery.
In 1901 the company and its seven production sites were divided into three family-owned companies: Bonduelle, Lesaffre and Lemaître.
It was in 1926 that the business began tinning peas. In the 1930s, demand was booming, which enabled the company to expand. The firm's operations were suspended in 1940 through the end of World War II. As demand continued to grow ever faster, the company began buying vegetables above and beyond its own harvests.
In the mid-1960s, the company began to improve its exports. In 1968, Bonduelle began freezing vegetables. Several European subsidiaries were launched: in Germany in 1969, in Italy in 1972 and in England in 1973. In 1973, exports accounted for half of the company's turnover.
In 1980, Bonduelle acquired the main Belgian tinned food company, Marie Thumas, then Cassegrain in 1989. The company continued to grow internationally, adding subsidiaries in Brazil in 1994 and in Argentina in 1996.
In 1997, the company got into the "fresh processed" business with the acquisition of Salade Minute.
In 2007, Bonduelle completed its acquisition of Canadian firm Aliments Carrière (Arctic Gardens brand), a leader in vegetables and frozen foods, which enabled it to access the bounty of 39,500 hectares.
In 2010, Bonduelle bought France Champignon and mushrooms became the number two vegetable at Bonduelle after sweetcorn.
| Period | July 2009 - June 2010 |
|---|---|
| Turnover | 1,560 |
| Operating income | 102 |
| Net profit | 57.7 |
| Outstanding securities | 8 millions € |
| Stock market capitalisation | 594 millions € |
| Average monthly trading volume | 181 894 |
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