Danone’s history

Jude Delisle was born in 1888 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. During a trip to France, he discovered yogurt and its healthy benefits. Two years later, he received help from the Pasteur Institute and acquired lactic starter. He was now prepared to begin yogurt production for himself.

Delisle set up business in Montreal, first in a little workshop on Duluth Street and then, in 1951, in more spacious quarters on Berri Street. With the move he increased his production from 20 tubs of yogurt a day to 4,000. His first buyers were doctors who prescribed yogurt as a medication, and Montrealers of European descent, who were soon enthusiastically spreading the word.

Delisle's advertising included advertising and packaging that trumpeted yogurt's beneficial effects on digestion. Little by little, the product began to interest a growing customer base. This is when visionary businessman Leslie Jonas joined the Delisle adventure.

Leslie Jonas acquired Delisle in 1963. At that time, the market was just being introduced to fresh-fruit yogurt. With annual revenues of $90,000, Delisle was the fourth largest yogurt producer. To increase its competitive edge, the company concentrated on quality, innovation, distribution and marketing, and developing employee skills.

By 1967, Delisle had become the leading yogurt producer in Canada. In 1968, industrial production was being handled in the company's modern facility in Boucherville. The competition was fierce and the business was kept on a solid growth trajectory by a continuous introduction of new products and going into new markets.

In 1975, Silhouette, the first fat-free yogurt, was launched. Revenues exceeded $40 million in 1980. In 1993, Delisle joined the Danone Group and began its quest to conquer the market in Western Canada. Delisle became Danone Canada four years later in 1997.

With brands such as Activia, DanActive,  Danacol, Oikos, Crush, Coolision, Danino, Silhouette, Stonyfield, and,Danone Creamy,  Danone in Canada is the country’s top yogurt producer.

In 2010, we invested more than $50 million into our ultra-modern plant in Boucherville, Quebec.  It measures over 223,000 square-feet and is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  We currently distribute over 4.7 million tubs of yogurt daily from coast to coast.

The launch of Activia marked a significant turning point in the history of Danone in Canada, as it was the first of a new generation of yogurts containing probiotic cultures.  It was the subject of numerous clinical trials and its cultures are scientifically proven to survive passage through the digestive system and play a vital role in the intestinal ecosystem.

The worldwide Danone family gives Danone in Canada access to a network of over 100,000 employees. This collaboration and team spirit helps to keep Danone in the position of number one yogurt producer in the world.