Yoplait

Yoplait (/ˈjoʊpleɪ/ YOH-play, French: [jɔplɛ]) is the largest franchise brand of yogurt, jointly owned by United States–based food conglomerate General Mills and French dairy cooperative Sodiaal.

Yoplait
Private / joint venture
IndustryProcessed Dairy Goods
Founded1965 (1965)
HeadquartersBoulogne-Billancourt, France
ProductsDairy Products
OwnerGeneral Mills (51%)
Sodiaal (49%)
(Most individual country franchises independently owned)
Websitewww.yoplait.com

History

In 1964, 100,000 French farmers merged their regional dairy cooperatives to sell nationally. In 1965, two co-operatives, "Yola" and "Coplait", merged, becoming "Yoplait". The company's logo is a six-petaled flower designed by Philippe Morlighem,[1] each petal representing one of the six main cooperatives' founders. A redesigned logo, which has been slowly rolled out since the late 2000s, uses a flower with only five petals.

On May 18, 2011, General Mills announced it had agreed to purchase a controlling 51% interest in the brand's main operating company Yoplait SAS, and a 50% interest in a related company owning the brand's intellectual property, with Sodiaal retaining the remainder.[2] The announcement of the completion of the acquisition was made on 1 July 2011.[3]In September 2017, Yoplait launched new campaign for kids yoghurt brand, Frubes.[4]

World franchises
Yoplait yogurt produced in Israel

Australia

In Australia, Yoplait is locally manufactured by Lion Dairy & Drinks. In November 2019, China’s Mengniu Dairy purchased Lion from Japan’s Kirin Holdings.[5] It uses the slogan "Yoplait; French for Yum!".[6]

Canada

In Canada, General Mills markets pre-stirred Yoplait yogurt, Minigo, Tubes, Source, Creamy, Delicieux, Yop, Yoplait Basket, Yoptimal, and Asana. In 1971, the Coopérative agricole de Granby, which went on to become the largest dairy cooperative in the country—Agropur—launched the Yoplait brand in Canada. In 1993, Agropur and Agrifoods (the two largest dairy cooperatives in Canada) combined their yogurt and fresh cheese marketing and manufacturing activities to form Ultima Foods. Ultima Foods oversaw Yoplait brand products throughout Canada until 2012, when General Mills took over the licence (Ultima Foods continues to manufacture Yoplait products in Canada as a subcontractor, but has also launched a wholly owned rival product line, iögo).[7]

Chile

In Chile the Yoplait brand is managed by Quillayes.

Ireland

In Ireland, Glanbia controlled the Yoplait brand from 1973 until May 2012, when the control was let go to Yoplait.

Norway

The franchise in Norway is held by Fjordland.

Portugal

In Portugal, Until 2010, Yoplait was run under Gelgurte, when the franchising was no renewed with headquarters. It was not made and sold ever since.[8]

Spain

In 2001 Soldier Spanish brand from Social stopped its production and commercialization in Spain closing its Anacondas production plant.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, Yoplait UK Ltd is now 100% owned by Yoplait France.[9] In April 2009 the joint venture between Yoplait and Dairy Crest ended. Yoplait UK Ltd is based in General Mills' European head office; Harman House in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. Tubed yogurts are called Frubes (portmanteau of fruit and tube) in the UK, half under the Petits Filous branding and half under the Wildlife Choobs branding. Petits Filous yogurt pots, Wildlife yogurt pots, Cal-in+ pot yogurts and yogurt drinks and Yop drinking yogurt are also sold in the UK.

Israel

Yoplait in Israel is managed by Tnuva, Israel's largest dairy,[10] and products are kosher. The company's drinkable yogurt comes in a 100-gram shot-style bottle with a center opening for easy gripping.[11] Yoplait-brand flavored yogurts account for 42–52% of the Israeli market.[12] Tnuva and Yoplait entered into a partnership to set up production facilities in Romania in 2007.[10] In 2009, Tnuva introduced a 500-gram family-size yogurt called Yoplait YYY that comes in resealable containers.[12]

Mexico

In Mexico, the Yoplait brand is managed by Sigma Alimentos.

South Korea

In South Korea, the Yoplait brand is managed and manufactured by Binggrae.

United States

In the United States, General Mills is the sole franchisee of Yoplait pre-stirred yogurt. Products are available in a variety of fruit-based flavors that come in a truncated-conical container sealed with an aluminum foil top. Under the Yoplait label, General Mills also markets Trix Yogurt, based on the flavors of their breakfast cereal of the same name, and Go-Gurt, where various flavors are packaged in plastic tubes for spoonless eating; these brands are targeted to children. A probiotic line of yogurt is marketed under the brand name Yo-Plus.

United Arab Emirates

In the United Arab Emirates, the Yoplait brand is managed by Al Ain Food & Beverages P JSC (an Agthia Group Company).

Community involvement

In the U.S., Yoplait participates in an annual program called "Save Lids to Save Lives" to raise money for breast cancer research. Yoplait donates ten cents per pink foil lid that is mailed to the company, but they state in fine print on all promotional materials that their donations will be capped at $2,000,000 per year. This money is donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Yoplait has been the primary sponsor of Race for the Cure, a marathon held to raise additional research money, since 2001.

The American franchise of Yoplait added a rim on the bottom of the yogurt containers to keep animals such as skunks from accidentally getting their heads caught. A label was added to the container stating: "Protect Wildlife: Crush Cup Before Disposal."[13]

Controversy

The 2011 documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc. reported that some products sold under the "Save Lids to Save Lives" campaign had previously contained milk from cows treated with bovine somatotropin, a growth hormone banned in many nations for its possible link to diseases in humans, until the company agreed to remove it.[14][15]

A 2012 television advertisement for Yoplait prompted criticism from the National Eating Disorders Association due to its portrayal of a woman making difficult food choices. The company announced within a few days of the complaint that they would pull the ad, saying, "We aren't sure that everyone saw the ad that way, but if anyone did, that was not our intent and is cause for concern."[16]

Since at least 1998, Yoplait has been the target of campaign by animal advocates, including the Humane Society, to redesign its traditional tapered cup design because small animals can easily get their heads stuck inside and then suffocate or die from dehydration.[17][18]

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See also

References
  1. "Pourquoi la petite fleur ne se fane jamais? @ Bravo La Petite Fleur". Bravolapetitefleur.com. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  2. "General Mills announces definitive agreements to acquire yogurt interests". Archived from the original on 19 April 2013.
  3. "General Mills completes Yoplait acquisition". Archived from the original on 11 April 2013.
  4. Panthaki, Fabian. "Yoplait Launches New Campaign For Frubes | KamCity". www.kamcity.com. Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  5. "Mengniu buys Lion Dairy and Drinks". dairyreporter.com. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  6. Yoplait, accessed 25 march, 2012.
  7. Yoplait SAS (2012-05-08). "Ultima and Yoplait resolve issues, successfully reach agreement" (Press release). CNW. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  8. "Yoplait". Mahalo.com. 1999-01-11. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  9. "Yoplait UK Limited: Private Company Information - Businessweek". Investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  10. Tnuva Launches Yoplait Yoghurts Archived March 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  11. 700+ words. "A clever packaging innovation from Yoplait in Israel makes milk more distinctive and consumer-friendly". Highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  12. Meirav Crystal (24 Mar 2009). "Tnuva introduces family-sized Yoplait". ynetnews.com.
  13. "Skunk Stink! (Yoplait container hazard)". Science World. 1999-01-11. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  14. Anderson, John (15 September 2011). "Pink Ribbons, Inc". Variety. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  15. Heinrich, Jeff (31 January 2012). "It's a fine line between fundraising, feminism". Regina Leader-Post. Postmedia News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  16. Stampler, Laura (2011-06-15). "Yoplait Pulls Ad Said To Promote Eating Disorders". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
  17. Cunningham, Kaily (September 27, 2015). "Humane society official says Yoplait yogurt containers are killing small animals". Fox 8. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  18. Hanson, Hilary (September 23, 2015). "Yoplait Yogurt Cups Have Been Killing Small Animals For Years". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
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