A bright future born from a single grain
The Group’s humble beginnings in 1851, and the legacy left by Louis-Dreyfus family leaders throughout our history, continue to inspire us today. We have a past to be proud of, and a future to look forward to.
A bright future born from a single grain
The Group’s humble beginnings in 1851, and the legacy left by Louis-Dreyfus family leaders throughout our history, continue to inspire us today. We have a past to be proud of, and a future to look forward to.
1851-1915
Our story begins
Our story begins with Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, a determined
16-year old who laid the foundations for our global business. Léopold named his company after his father and understood early on that the business would fill a great human and economic need. His entrepreneurial spirit remains a source of inspiration for the company to this day.
Fulfilling a human and economic need
Léopold Louis-Dreyfus travels from Sierentz, in Alsace, to Basel, Switzerland, a country that offers interesting prospects for a budding food industry. There, Léopold makes his first sale of grain, and establishes his business.
The promise of Europe’s breadbasket
Aged just 23, Léopold leaves Basel for Berne, and expands the range of his commercial activities. Recognizing opportunities for higher profitability, he buys grain from Hungary and Romania, and sells it in Western Europe. By the 1870s, Léopold’s company is one of the few to have reached a continental scale.
A new channel of communication emerges
The telegraph and transatlantic cable are widely used in trading offices, as they dramatically improve communication between Europe and the Americas. This allows farmers to negotiate the pricing of their goods while crops are still growing. Léopold is one of the first businessmen to fully embrace these technological innovations. He also makes use of new railroads connecting the hinterlands of Europe with wheat ports and fields in Odessa and Rostov.
To market
With the official authorization of the Liverpool Corn Trade Association, the company begins trading futures. The grain trade spreads gradually and extensively throughout the 19th century, with key markets in Liverpool and London, in the United Kingdom, and Chicago, in the US.
A new generation
Léopold welcomes his sons, Charles and Louis, into the company, introducing them to the business early on. Following in their father’s footsteps, Charles and Louis expand the business, seeking new horizons and markets for their products.
Across the sea
Léopold creates a fleet of vessels – all named after his family members, such as Pierre LD and Louis LD. They carry Russian crops and grains from Odessa to Liverpool and the main Mediterranean ports.
A strong presence in worlds old and new
We open our first office in Australia, located in Melbourne, and become a major wheat exporter in the early days of the country’s grain industry. At the same time, there are more than 80 wheat trading offices in Russia - a significant presence not many companies enjoy at this time. To facilitate the company’s financial operations in grain markets across the globe, the Banque Louis-Dreyfus is established in 1905.
Fulfilling a human and economic need
Léopold Louis-Dreyfus travels from Sierentz, in Alsace, to Basel, Switzerland, a country that offers interesting prospects for a budding food industry. There, Léopold makes his first sale of grain, and establishes his business.
The promise of Europe’s breadbasket
Aged just 23, Léopold leaves Basel for Berne, and expands the range of his commercial activities. Recognizing opportunities for higher profitability, he buys grain from Hungary and Romania, and sells it in Western Europe. By the 1870s, Léopold’s company is one of the few to have reached a continental scale.
A new channel of communication emerges
The telegraph and transatlantic cable are widely used in trading offices, as they dramatically improve communication between Europe and the Americas. This allows farmers to negotiate the pricing of their goods while crops are still growing. Léopold is one of the first businessmen to fully embrace these technological innovations. He also makes use of new railroads connecting the hinterlands of Europe with wheat ports and fields in Odessa and Rostov.
To market
With the official authorization of the Liverpool Corn Trade Association, the company begins trading futures. The grain trade spreads gradually and extensively throughout the 19th century, with key markets in Liverpool and London, in the United Kingdom, and Chicago, in the US.
A new generation
Léopold welcomes his sons, Charles and Louis, into the company, introducing them to the business early on. Following in their father’s footsteps, Charles and Louis expand the business, seeking new horizons and markets for their products.
Across the sea
Léopold creates a fleet of vessels – all named after his family members, such as Pierre LD and Louis LD. They carry Russian crops and grains from Odessa to Liverpool and the main Mediterranean ports.
A strong presence in worlds old and new
We open our first office in Australia, located in Melbourne, and become a major wheat exporter in the early days of the country’s grain industry. At the same time, there are more than 80 wheat trading offices in Russia - a significant presence not many companies enjoy at this time. To facilitate the company’s financial operations in grain markets across the globe, the Banque Louis-Dreyfus is established in 1905.
1915-1960
The next generation takes the reigns
By the time of his death in 1915, Léopold has received multiple honors, including Commander of the Légion d’Honneur (1912) in France, Commander of the Royal Russian Order (1905) and Grand Officer of the Romanian Crown (1914). The second generation of the business, with Charles and Louis at the helm, expands our activities further afield, to the Americas, and beyond.
Bringing grains from Argentina to the world
By the end of the 1920s, nearly three-quarters of Argentina’s agricultural land is used for farming cereals. Throughout this decade, more than 1,000 company representatives are in the country at harvest time. They buy corn, wheat, barley and oats from local farmers and ship them around the world to meet global demand.
Sesostris: a guarantee of efficiency
Grain is traded all over the world, accompanied by coded telex messages exchanged by trading correspondents. Léopold’s company code, Sesostris, becomes a symbol of reliability among suppliers and customers. Messages that arrive at the company’s offices are ‘flown’ from one floor to the next through a pneumatic pipe system.
New ventures in the Americas
The company enters Canada, and begins buying and exporting grains and oilseeds across the world. Exports of these two commodities contribute immensely to the local economy, in a country where one in three people are living on farms. At the same time, after four decades of activity in Brazil, we establish a presence in 1942 with the acquisition of Comércio e Indústrias Brasileiras Coinbra SA, trading sugar, citrus products, oilseeds and coffee.
Postwar recovery
Although not immune to the challenges of wartime, we remain in business. With the death of Léopold’s son Louis in 1940, his grandsons Jean, François and Pierre take charge of the company, and throughout the 1950s, they expand our geographic presence, opening trading offices in Chicago, Winnipeg, Buenos Aires, New York, Johannesburg, São Paulo, Saigon, Shanghai, and Bombay.
Bringing grains from Argentina to the world
By the end of the 1920s, nearly three-quarters of Argentina’s agricultural land is used for farming cereals. Throughout this decade, more than 1,000 company representatives are in the country at harvest time. They buy corn, wheat, barley and oats from local farmers and ship them around the world to meet global demand.
Sesostris: a guarantee of efficiency
Grain is traded all over the world, accompanied by coded telex messages exchanged by trading correspondents. Léopold’s company code, Sesostris, becomes a symbol of reliability among suppliers and customers. Messages that arrive at the company’s offices are ‘flown’ from one floor to the next through a pneumatic pipe system.
New ventures in the Americas
The company enters Canada, and begins buying and exporting grains and oilseeds across the world. Exports of these two commodities contribute immensely to the local economy, in a country where one in three people are living on farms. At the same time, after four decades of activity in Brazil, we establish a presence in 1942 with the acquisition of Comércio e Indústrias Brasileiras Coinbra SA, trading sugar, citrus products, oilseeds and coffee.
Postwar recovery
Although not immune to the challenges of wartime, we remain in business. With the death of Léopold’s son Louis in 1940, his grandsons Jean, François and Pierre take charge of the company, and throughout the 1950s, they expand our geographic presence, opening trading offices in Chicago, Winnipeg, Buenos Aires, New York, Johannesburg, São Paulo, Saigon, Shanghai, and Bombay.
1960-2006
Unprecedented expansion
We grow stronger in the decades following the end of
World War II. Building on Léopold’s legacy, the Group seizes opportunities to diversify the business, guided by a new generation of Louis-Dreyfus leaders. They expand operations to a new scale, laying the foundations for our long-term future.
The arrival of a new leader
Passionate and charismatic, Gérard Louis-Dreyfus leads the company through a period of unparalleled growth. By placing immense value on partnerships of trust, he carves out a new path for our trading activities, and capitalizes on arbitrage opportunities in a variety of commodity markets.
Further growth through new activities
From the 1970s to the 1990s, we extend our direct involvement in agricultural activities, incorporating cotton, sugar, citrus, and coffee into the business. We also expand our origination and marketing activities, adding citrus and oilseeds processing to our growing value chain.
The opening of General Lagos
The General Lagos soybean crushing plant and port facilities open in Argentina. Today, General Lagos is considered one of the most efficient plants in the world and has made LDC Argentina the main national producer and exporter of biodiesel.
Building on our presence in the Americas
From 1998 and throughout the first decade of the new century, we enhance our presence in Canada where we build a network of 10 grain elevators. We also expand our presence in several locations in Brazil. We capitalize on each state’s individual strengths, and add a coffee warehouse, a soybean processing plant, a juice plant and terminal, a cotton warehouse, and several sugar production operations to our local portfolio.
The arrival of a new leader
Passionate and charismatic, Gérard Louis-Dreyfus leads the company through a period of unparalleled growth. By placing immense value on partnerships of trust, he carves out a new path for our trading activities, and capitalizes on arbitrage opportunities in a variety of commodity markets.
Further growth through new activities
From the 1970s to the 1990s, we extend our direct involvement in agricultural activities, incorporating cotton, sugar, citrus, and coffee into the business. We also expand our origination and marketing activities, adding citrus and oilseeds processing to our growing value chain.
The opening of General Lagos
The General Lagos soybean crushing plant and port facilities open in Argentina. Today, General Lagos is considered one of the most efficient plants in the world and has made LDC Argentina the main national producer and exporter of biodiesel.
Building on our presence in the Americas
From 1998 and throughout the first decade of the new century, we enhance our presence in Canada where we build a network of 10 grain elevators. We also expand our presence in several locations in Brazil. We capitalize on each state’s individual strengths, and add a coffee warehouse, a soybean processing plant, a juice plant and terminal, a cotton warehouse, and several sugar production operations to our local portfolio.
2006-2015
The rise of a new visionary
Building on the growth and success achieved under Gérard, Léopold’s great-grandson, Robert Louis-Dreyfus begins to write a new page in the company’s history. His advice to employees remains relevant in today’s complex times:
“Look, learn, and then grow.”
A new company structure
Taking charge of his family’s company, and guided by his own entrepreneurial spirit, Robert Louis-Dreyfus creates autonomous subsidiaries for each of the Group’s activities. He consolidates the company structure and creates Louis Dreyfus Commodities (LDC). Robert decides that a percentage of employees will receive equity shares in addition to cash bonuses, to encourage long-term thinking. Under Robert’s stewardship, the company incorporates three new business lines (fertilizers, dairy and metals) and will later honor his legacy by following his expansion strategy after his untimely passing in 2009.
Taking responsibility for sustainable soy
LDC becomes part of the Soy Moratorium in Brazil. The agreement aims to preserve the Amazon Biome by reconciling environmental preservation with economic development, through the responsible and sustainable use of the country’s natural resources.
New opportunities in Europe and South America
A rapeseed crushing plant is acquired in Wittenberg, Germany. Today, after significant investments in infrastructure and technological improvements, the plant’s specialties include lecithin for food and feed applications, and pharmaceutical-grade glycerin. In Brazil, Biosev is created through the merger of our sugarcane operations with Santelisa Vale’s. Today, Biosev has grown to become an LDC sister company, and the world’s second-largest sugarcane processor.
Investing in the future
LDC sees remarkable growth and expansion, capitalizing on favorable commodity market conditions during this period. With our eyes on the future, we make major investments to improve logistic bottlenecks and make strategic acquisitions to develop our value chain and business lines. In China, the Group enters the apple juice concentrate market. In Argentina and Indonesia, we purchase cotton assets and invest in our logistics network respectively.
Committed to better business practices
We make a contribution to a sustainable future by signing the UN Global Compact: a set of ten key principles for businesses, covering human rights, labor, the environment, and the fight against corruption.
Incorporating new brands to enhance our services
Having established a strong presence in the world market, LDC acquires two new companies: Ecoval Dairy Trade, a leading international dairy trading house, and the US-listed Imperial Sugar Company. With the acquisition of the latter, we venture into the consumer product segment, with the brands Imperial Sugar and Dixie Crystals.
Value chain growth and strategic acquisitions
The Group unveils an upgraded grain and oilseed export elevator at Port of Greater Baton Rouge in the US - the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere. We also establish new joint ventures in cotton (Australia), rice (South Africa) and grains (Ukraine). In Brazil, LDC acquires Kowalski Alimentos S.A. - one of the country’s largest corn milling operators - adding more resources to our local network.
A new company structure
Taking charge of his family’s company, and guided by his own entrepreneurial spirit, Robert Louis-Dreyfus creates autonomous subsidiaries for each of the Group’s activities. He consolidates the company structure and creates Louis Dreyfus Commodities (LDC). Robert decides that a percentage of employees will receive equity shares in addition to cash bonuses, to encourage long-term thinking. Under Robert’s stewardship, the company incorporates three new business lines (fertilizers, dairy and metals) and will later honor his legacy by following his expansion strategy after his untimely passing in 2009.
Taking responsibility for sustainable soy
LDC becomes part of the Soy Moratorium in Brazil. The agreement aims to preserve the Amazon Biome by reconciling environmental preservation with economic development, through the responsible and sustainable use of the country’s natural resources.
New opportunities in Europe and South America
A rapeseed crushing plant is acquired in Wittenberg, Germany. Today, after significant investments in infrastructure and technological improvements, the plant’s specialties include lecithin for food and feed applications, and pharmaceutical-grade glycerin. In Brazil, Biosev is created through the merger of our sugarcane operations with Santelisa Vale’s. Today, Biosev has grown to become an LDC sister company, and the world’s second-largest sugarcane processor.
Investing in the future
LDC sees remarkable growth and expansion, capitalizing on favorable commodity market conditions during this period. With our eyes on the future, we make major investments to improve logistic bottlenecks and make strategic acquisitions to develop our value chain and business lines. In China, the Group enters the apple juice concentrate market. In Argentina and Indonesia, we purchase cotton assets and invest in our logistics network respectively.
Committed to better business practices
We make a contribution to a sustainable future by signing the UN Global Compact: a set of ten key principles for businesses, covering human rights, labor, the environment, and the fight against corruption.
Incorporating new brands to enhance our services
Having established a strong presence in the world market, LDC acquires two new companies: Ecoval Dairy Trade, a leading international dairy trading house, and the US-listed Imperial Sugar Company. With the acquisition of the latter, we venture into the consumer product segment, with the brands Imperial Sugar and Dixie Crystals.
Value chain growth and strategic acquisitions
The Group unveils an upgraded grain and oilseed export elevator at Port of Greater Baton Rouge in the US - the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere. We also establish new joint ventures in cotton (Australia), rice (South Africa) and grains (Ukraine). In Brazil, LDC acquires Kowalski Alimentos S.A. - one of the country’s largest corn milling operators - adding more resources to our local network.
2015-Present
The next chapter
The company begins forging a new way forward with renewed focus on sustainability and building strong relationships based on trust, inspired by our past as we march towards the future.
Inspired by our past: working for our future
In line with our strategic growth plans, the company ventures on, consolidating the relationship with our customers and suppliers. To mark this new chapter in our history, the Group is renamed Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC).
Our first biodiesel plant in Asia
Building on our presence in Indonesia, which already includes two oil refineries and several logistics assets, a new biodiesel plant opens in Lampung – the Group’s first in Asia and fifth worldwide.
A strategic dairy partnership is forged in Australia
We enter a joint-venture with Australian dairy company The Midfield group to build and operate a dairy processing plant in Penola. Given the country’s importance in the industry as a supplier of high quality milk and dairy products, this marks a strategic step in developing LDC’s dairy activities worldwide, particularly in Oceania and Asia.
A new milestone in our Claypool operations
Our facilities in Claypool, US, are expanded to include a new glycerin refinery, LDC’s second worldwide. Since first opening its doors in 2007, our industrial complex in Claypool has become one of the largest crush and biodiesel facilities in the country.
Towards fully traceable palm oil
To broaden our efforts in sustainability, we become members of The Forest Trust, a leading international sustainability organization. Together, we will work to build and maintain high levels of traceability in palm oil.
Inspired by our past: working for our future
In line with our strategic growth plans, the company ventures on, consolidating the relationship with our customers and suppliers. To mark this new chapter in our history, the Group is renamed Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC).
Our first biodiesel plant in Asia
Building on our presence in Indonesia, which already includes two oil refineries and several logistics assets, a new biodiesel plant opens in Lampung – the Group’s first in Asia and fifth worldwide.
A strategic dairy partnership is forged in Australia
We enter a joint-venture with Australian dairy company The Midfield group to build and operate a dairy processing plant in Penola. Given the country’s importance in the industry as a supplier of high quality milk and dairy products, this marks a strategic step in developing LDC’s dairy activities worldwide, particularly in Oceania and Asia.
A new milestone in our Claypool operations
Our facilities in Claypool, US, are expanded to include a new glycerin refinery, LDC’s second worldwide. Since first opening its doors in 2007, our industrial complex in Claypool has become one of the largest crush and biodiesel facilities in the country.
Towards fully traceable palm oil
To broaden our efforts in sustainability, we become members of The Forest Trust, a leading international sustainability organization. Together, we will work to build and maintain high levels of traceability in palm oil.
Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods, leveraging its global reach and extensive asset network to deliver for its customers around the world - safely, responsibly and reliably. Today we help to feed and clothe some 500 million people, originating, processing and transporting approximately 80 million tons of products annually.
Louis Dreyfus Company Colombia S.A.S.
Cl 67 7-35 T-C Of 401 Bogotá
Distrito Capital
Colombia
Phone: +504 2605 2880
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