The origin of yogurt
Did you know that yogurt was first sold in pharmacies as an aid to digestion? In 1919, the sight of so many children in Barcelona suffering from intestinal disorders surprised the entrepreneur Isaac Carasso.At the time he was very interested in the research of Metchnikoff, the 1909 Nobel Prize winner, on yogurt lactic acid bacteria. Carasso brought some bacterial ‘cultures’, from the Pasteur Institute in Paris and launched the first yogurts in Barcelona. Cultures, or bacterial families, when added to milk and under the right conditions result in a yogurt substance. Carasso called his product ‘Danone’, his son Daniel’s nickname. Doctors helped the success of yogurts by prescribing them for intestinal disorders. Pharmacies distributed the first yogurts exclusively, clearly positioning the product in the mind of the consumer as a health food.
Business 2000
SIXTH edition
Research & Development At Danone
Research & Development (R&D) into new products is a vital part of the business process. Consumer eating habits and dietary needs are changing all the time and R&D needs to keep pace with such changes. As lifestyles become more hectic, people are becoming more aware of the importance of a healthy diet. Danone’s success in the market place is largely underpinned by its ongoing commitment to this process of R&D. Its dedicated centre of research excellence in France called Danone Vitapole focuses much of its research into trying to understand how to help people be healthier. At this centre new strains of cultures, or bacteria, are identified. Nutritional solutions for solving common problems such as strengthening the body’s immunity are explored.This research has led to an increasingly rapid flow of new products and ideas to the market and has positioned Danone as the most advanced and innovative producer of health oriented dairy products in the world today.
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