French cheese manufacturer, Bel Groupe, has opened an Australian subsidiary, aiming to work more closely with retailers and directly manage its brand distribution. Bel Brands Australia took over the national distribution of Bel cheese products effective 1 November, and has full ownership of local sales, retailer relationships and marketing activities.
A family business with a history dating back over 150 years, Bel is a major player in the global food industry, specialising across a range of dairy, fruit and plant-based products. The organisation employs over 10,000 people globally, has over 30 production sites, and posted worldwide sales of over $6 billion in 2023.
In Australia, Bel has been around for over 40 years, encompassing brands including Babybel, The Laughing Cow, Kiri, Port Salut and Boursin across the cheese category. It has nationwide distribution in major retailers like Woolworths, Coles, Costco and Metcash.
Its new subsidiary, Bel Brands Australia, aims to support the company's mission in producing accessible, healthy, and sustainable snacking options.
Bel Brands Australia managing director, Eric Jeanmaire, said it was a historic day for the company’s Australian branch.
“We will now directly manage our brand distribution, work closely with retailers, have a stronger consumer centric approach to building our brands and driving innovation in a fast-evolving market,” said Jeanmaire.
“We’re excited to partner with retailers to introduce new products and further invest in our existing portfolio to help grow the healthy snacking category, accelerating growth in 2025 and beyond.”
