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Louis Dreyfus Commodities

History

Robert Louis-Dreyfus (1946-2009)

After graduating from Harvard Business School, Robert Louis-Dreyfus started his career with the Louis Dreyfus Group, becoming involved in the initial development of its industrial activities. He then moved on to pursue opportunities outside the LD Group, at companies such as IMS, Saatchi & Saatchi and Adidas. He returned to the LD Group in 2000 as the Chairman of LD’s telecommunications venture and, in 2006, was asked by the Louis-Dreyfus family to run the entire LD Group.
In 2007, he took control of the Louis Dreyfus Group and placed the controlling shares of the LD Group in a trust established for 99 years. Robert Louis-Dreyfus designed this structure to perpetuate and develop the Group in the spirit of what it has achieved throughout its 160-year history.
  • 1851
  • 1883
  • 1913
  • 1924
  • 1942
  • 1990
  • 2006
  • 2009
  • 2010

1851


Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, the 18-year-old son of a farmer from Sierentz, Alsace, enters the grain business by purchasing wheat from local Alsacian farmers and taking it eight miles away to Basel, Switzerland, an important commercial center on the Rhine River between Germany and France. Seven years later he leaves Basel for Berne and extends the scope of his activities, buying grain products in Hungary and Romania.

1860

Along with improved transportation systems connecting wheat markets, transatlantic cable facilitates communication between suppliers and consumers. Louis Dreyfus establishes a network of offices in Germany and France.

1864

Louis Dreyfus headquarters are transferred to Zurich, and it becomes an international trading operation, buying grain in the Danube basin and in Russia to meet the increasing demand of industrialized cities in Western Europe.

1872

After the Franco-Prussian War, the Treaty of Frankfort cedes French Alsace to Germany. Léopold chooses French nationality with his official residence in Marseille. In 1875, he establishes the company’s world headquarters in Paris.

1883

The Group begins trading futures following authorization by the Liverpool Corn Trade Association.

1900

At the turn of the century, Louis Dreyfus has offices throughout Europe, North and South America, South Africa, India, Indo-China, China, Australia and Russia.

1905


Banque Louis-Dreyfus is created to facilitate the company’s financial operations in grain markets.

1909

Louis Dreyfus opens an office in Duluth, Minnesota, and begins exporting durum wheat.

1913

Louis Dreyfus opens its first office in Melbourne, Australia.

1914

Louis Dreyfus moves its offices to New York and becomes a member of the New York Product Exchange engaged in general grain export and import transaction.

1915


Louis (1867-1940) and Charles (1870-1929) succeed to their father Leopold Louis-Dreyfus, and expand the business in North America, South America and Russia.

1916

In addition to participating in other programs initiated by the Food Administration, Louis Dreyfus ships large quantities of grain under the Belgium Relief Program, an effort directed by Herbert Hoover.

1924

Louis Dreyfus starts trading and shipping grain in South Africa.

1925


Louis Dreyfus is well established in Argentina, with agents buying corn, wheat, barley and oats for export.

1938

Louis Dreyfus begins buying and exporting Canadian grains and oilseeds to worldwide customers.

1940


With the death of Léopold’s son Louis, the founder’s three grandsons, Jean (1908-2001), Francois (1909-1958) and Pierre (1908-2011) assume control of the company.

1942

With almost four decades of activity in Brazil, the Louis Dreyfus Group consolidates its presence in the country with the acquisition of Comércio e Industrias Brasileiras Coinbra SA.

1946

After World War II, the main exporting offices of the Louis Dreyfus Group are in New York, Chicago, Winnipeg, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Saigon, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Bombay and Melbourne.

1969


Gérard Louis-Dreyfus becomes Chairman of the company and redirects the Louis Dreyfus’ trading activities to capitalize on arbitrage opportunities in a variety of commodity markets, including government bonds, rice, cotton and natural gas.

1970-1980s

The Group extends its agricultural activities to cotton, sugar, citrus and coffee.

1990s


Processing operations in citrus and oilseeds are added to the expanding origination and marketing activities.

1992


The General Lagos soybean crushing plant and port facility on the Paraná River opens in Argentina. It is one of the largest and most efficient plants in the world.

1998


Construction begins on a network of ten grain elevators across the Canadian prairies.

2000-2005


The Group purchases sugar production operations in Brazil and enters the metal business.

2006


  • Robert Louis-Dreyfus set up his vision of the Louis Dreyfus Group.
  • Each business of the Louis Dreyfus Group is separated with the creation of LDCommodities (LDC).
  • LDC is rationalized through a matrix organization: regions/platforms.
  • Assets based strategy:
    • opening of Timbues, Argentina (soybean processing plant and a port facility).
    • beginning construction of the Claypool, Indiana, USA (soybean processing plant).

2007


  • Excellent profitability.
  • Entering new local markets: Vietnam, Colombia, Ethiopia.
  • Expanding product lines: Fertilizer, Milk…
  • Acquisition of four sugar mills in Brazil.
  • Acquisition of the Bazhou oilseed crushing plant in China.

2008


  • Net sales doubled compared to 2006, largely above US$35 bn.
  • Set up of a dedicated region: Middle East and Africa.
  • Expansion in Asia with acquisitions of:
    • an edible-oil refinery in India, and
    • a stake in an Indonesian palm-oil plantation company.
  • Investment in Brazilian sugarcane processing facilities and plantations.

2009


  • US$ 34 bn net sales.
  • Fixed Assets above US$ 5.5 bn.
  • Approximately 34,000 employees.
  • Offices in more than 55 countries.
  • Acquisition of rapeseed crushing plant in Wittenberg (Germany).
  • Merger of operations with Santelisa Vale (Brazil), to create LDC-SEV, the 2nd largest sugarcane crushing company in the world.

2010


  • Pursuing growth:
    excellent financial performance,
    confirming benefits of diversification
    and asset-based strategy
  • Enters the apple juice concentrate
    market (China)
  • Acquisition of Cotton assets
  • Pursuing logistics investments o/w Port
    Lampung (Indonesia), cereal terminal
    (Argentina)
  • UN Global Compact signatory

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