La Lorraine: completes new joint venture in the USA

Ninove / BE. (lbg) La Lorraine Bakery Group (LLBG) has taken a 50 percent stake in Bakery de France, a frozen bakery company located in Washington DC, USA. Bakery de France is one of the market leaders in artisanal bake-off bread in the North American retail and food service market.

Bakery de France (BdF) was founded nearly 40 years ago and successfully managed by the Salameh family. BdF is passionate about innovation and top quality, which fits in perfectly with LLBG’s product leadership strategy. Both companies also share the same values, strong entrepreneurship and of long-term vision.

The new joint-venture partnership will allow LLBG and Bakery de France to accelerate their ambitious growth plan and further expand their position in the North American market. The North American consumer is increasingly focusing on artisan quality and innovative bakery products, turning this market of more than 300 million consumers into a great additional growth opportunity for LLBG.

Alexander Salameh, the previous COO of Bakery de France, is the new CEO of the company.

Guido Vanherpe, Group CEO La Lorraine Bakery Group: «We are very happy and proud that we can start a new growth story on a new continent together with the Salameh family. After more than 80 years of growth in more than 35 countries on the European continent, Turkey and Middle East, we have now a great opportunity to scale our expertise and further expand our international footprint to the North-American market.»

Alexander Salameh, CEO Bakery de France: «For nearly 40 years, Bakery de France has grown as an innovative, dynamic and dependable partner for our customers. Today, we are proud to continue scaling by joining forces with LLBG, a strong partner who shares our core values of focusing on quality and customer service in a family-owned environment. This partnership further reinforces our commitment to our customers and our team members as we continue our exciting journey together.»