Danone S.A.

Packaged Foods and BeveragesFounded 1919- HQ today: Paris, France

Founders

Who Founded Danone?

Isaac Carasso · Founded 1919 · HQ today: Paris, France

Who founded Danone?

Danone was founded by Isaac Carasso in 1919 in Barcelona, Spain. It is now led by Antoine de Saint-Affrique.

Founders: Isaac Carasso
Founded: 1919
Headquarters: Paris, France
Number of founders: 1
Current CEO: Antoine de Saint-Affrique (since 2021)

Where was Danone founded?: Danone was founded in Barcelona, Spain in 1919. wikidata.org
When was Danone founded?: Danone was founded in 1919.
Who started Danone?: Danone was founded by Isaac Carasso.
How old is Danone?: Danone is 107 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

In 1919 Isaac Carasso, a Sephardic Jewish entrepreneur from Thessaloniki living in Barcelona, began producing yogurt with ferments from the Pasteur Institute to help children with intestinal disorders. He named it Danone after his son Daniel and first sold it through pharmacies. Daniel Carasso took the brand to Paris in 1929 and, after fleeing the Nazi occupation, co-founded Dannon in New York in 1942.

Isaac Carasso

Co-founder 1919

Background

Isaac Carasso was a Sephardic Jewish entrepreneur from Thessaloniki who settled in Barcelona. Inspired by research at the Pasteur Institute on lactic ferments, he began producing yogurt in 1919 and sold it through pharmacies as a digestive health product.

Role at Danone S.A.

Isaac Carasso founded Danone in Barcelona in 1919, naming the yogurt after his son Daniel ('Danon' in Catalan). His son Daniel Carasso founded the Societe Parisienne du Yoghourt Danone in Paris in 1929 and, after fleeing the Nazi occupation, co-founded Dannon Milk Products in New York in 1942. Daniel later returned to France, and the business merged with Antoine Riboud's glassmaker-turned-food group BSN in 1973, forming the company that took the Danone name in 1994.

Isaac Carasso was born in 1874.

Danone S.A.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Antoine de Saint-Affrique

Chief Executive Officer

2021 – Present

Under his leadership like-for-like sales growth returned to the 3-5% range with positive volume/mix, recurring operating margin rose from 12.2% in 2022 to 13.4% in 2025 and recurring EPS reached EUR3.80. He previously ran Barry Callebaut (2015-2021) and spent about 25 years at Unilever.

Emmanuel Faber

Former CEO and Chairman

2014 – 2021

Faber was praised for ESG leadership but criticized by activist investors such as Bluebell Capital and Artisan Partners for lagging sales growth, margins and share-price returns versus Nestle and Unilever. The board removed him in March 2021.

Franck Riboud

Former CEO and Chairman

1996 – 2014

He pushed Danone deeper into emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and Africa and co-created Grameen Danone Foods with Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh in 2006.

Antoine Riboud

Former CEO and Architect of modern Danone

1973 – 1996

He turned a regional glass manufacturer into one of France's largest food groups, and his dual-project idea still frames Danone's mission status and B Corp certification.

Compare Danone S.A. Leadership With Competitors

Danone S.A. vs Kellanova Leadership →Overview

Danone S.A. vs Hormel Foods Corporation Leadership →Overview

Danone S.A. vs Post Holdings, Inc. Leadership →Overview

Keep researching Danone

Who Founded Danone? FAQ

Who was Isaac Carasso and how did he start Danone?

Isaac Carasso (1874-1939) was a Sephardic Jewish businessman from Salonica who settled in Barcelona. In 1919 he began making yogurt with ferments from the Pasteur Institute to help children with intestinal disorders and named it Danone, after the Catalan nickname of his son Daniel.

Who was Daniel Carasso and how did he build Danone into a global company?

Daniel Carasso (1905-2009) founded the Societe Parisienne du Yoghourt Danone in Paris in 1929, fled to the United States during World War II and co-founded Dannon Milk Products in New York in 1942. He later returned to France, oversaw the 1973 merger with BSN and remained honorary chairman until his death at 103.

How did Antoine Riboud create BSN before merging with Danone in 1973?

Antoine Riboud took over his family's glass business in Lyon and created BSN through the 1966 merger of Souchon-Neuvesel and Boussois. He then bought Evian, Kronenbourg and Bledina in 1970 and merged BSN with Gervais Danone in 1973.

How was the Dannon brand established in the United States in 1942?

In 1942 Daniel Carasso and partners Joe and Juan Metzger started Dannon in the Bronx, New York, using an Americanized name. Adding fruit to the yogurt in the late 1940s helped it win over American consumers.

What is the origin of Nutricia?

Nutricia was founded in 1896 in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, by Martinus van der Hagen to produce infant milk based on a formula developed by Professor Alexander Backhaus. It became part of Danone through the 2007 acquisition of Royal Numico.

What enduring founding values from 1919 continue to guide Danone today?

Danone still describes its mission as 'bringing health through food to as many people as possible', which traces back to Isaac Carasso's original pharmacy yogurt, and its group values are Humanism, Openness, Proximity and Enthusiasm (HOPE).

How is the memory of Daniel Carasso honored at Danone?

Danone's research and innovation center at Paris-Saclay, France, is named after Daniel Carasso.

What was the historical significance of the 1972 Marseille speech by Antoine Riboud?

In a 1972 speech to French business leaders in Marseille, Antoine Riboud argued that companies have responsibilities beyond profit, toward employees and society. Danone calls this its 'dual project', and it underpins the company's 2020 mission status.

Who founded Danone?

Isaac Carasso founded the original yogurt company in 1919. However, the modern corporate giant was truly architected by Antoine Riboud, who built the massive French glassmaking company BSN, which eventually acquired Danone in 1973 and fully adopted its name.

Related Founder Profiles

Compare founding stories, origins, and entrepreneurial journeys

Competitor

Explore Danone

Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.

Who founded Danone?

Founding Story

Isaac Carasso

Background

Role at Danone S.A.

Danone S.A.: CEO & Leadership History

Compare Danone S.A. Leadership With Competitors

Keep researching Danone

Who Founded Danone? FAQ

Who was Isaac Carasso and how did he start Danone?

Who was Daniel Carasso and how did he build Danone into a global company?

How did Antoine Riboud create BSN before merging with Danone in 1973?

How was the Dannon brand established in the United States in 1942?

What is the origin of Nutricia?

What enduring founding values from 1919 continue to guide Danone today?

How is the memory of Daniel Carasso honored at Danone?

What was the historical significance of the 1972 Marseille speech by Antoine Riboud?

Who founded Danone?

Related Founder Profiles

Kellanova

Hormel Foods Corporation

Post Holdings, Inc.

Nestle

Unilever

Pepsi