Danone Manifesto Ventures invests in frozen organic baby food start-up, Yooji
Paris, September 28 th 2017 - Danone Manifesto Ventures today announces it has become a shareholder of Yooji, the French start-up aiming to revolutionise baby food by providing frozen portion-sized organic products. This investment is the fourth of Danone Manifesto Ventures in a year, building on their commitment to support companies at the forefront of bringing about the alimentation trends of tomorrow.
Founded in September 2012, Yooji responds to a growing demand from parents for high-quality healthy baby meals which are easy and convenient, yet remain as close as possible to home-cooked meals. All products are sourced from organic farms and cooked in France with 100% natural ingredients, without salt or additives. Its products are sold in more than 600 stores throughout France.
As part of Yooji's capital-raising, Danone Manifesto Ventures joined forces with the company's long-standing shareholders: Caravelle, a family-owned diversified industrial group, and Capagro, the first French venture capital fund dedicated to agriculture and food innovation.
This deal was completed in close collaboration with Blédina, the Danone-owned brand which continues to lead the French infant nutrition market.
Yooji will continue to operate independently, with the development of the business remaining entirely in the hands of its existing management team.
Danone Manifesto Ventures, launched at the end of 2016, is a corporate venture capital unit financed by Danone, with the mission of supporting the development of innovative companies with high growth potential which share its vision of alimentation.
About Danone Manifesto Ventures ( www.danoneventures.com )
Launched end of 2016 by Danone, Danone Manifesto Ventures is a corporate venture capital unit with the mission of supporting the development of innovative companies with high growth potential which share its vision of alimentation. Its purpose, in line with Danone's strategy: developing new offers to encourage healthier eating & drinking practices, in order to satisfy the ever-increasing expectations of demanding consumers. Through this unit, Danone provides financial and operational support to these companies while giving them access to its experienced teams around the world, along with the independence they need to grow their entrepreneurial project. To this day, Danone Manifesto Ventures has completed 4 investments including Yooji and Michel & Augustin in France, along with Farmers Fridge and Accel Foods in the United States.
About Danone ( www.danone.com )
Dedicated to bringing health through food to as many people as possible, Danone is a leading global food company built on four business lines: Fresh Dairy Products, Early Life Nutrition, Waters and Medical Nutrition. Through its mission and dual commitment to business success and social progress, the company aims to build a healthier future, thanks to better health, better lives and a better world, for all its stakeholders-its 100,000 employees, consumers, customers, suppliers, shareholders and all the communities with which it engages. Present in over 130 markets, Danone generated sales of approximately €22 billion in 2016. Danone's brand portfolio includes both international brands (Activia, Actimel, Danette, Danonino, Danio, evian, Volvic, Nutrilon/Aptamil, Nutricia) and local brands (Oikos, Prostokvashino, Aqua, Bonafont, Mizone, Blédina, Cow & Gate). Listed on Euronext Paris and on the OTCQX market via an ADR (American Depositary Receipt) program, Danone is a component stock of leading social responsibility indexes including the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, Vigeo, the Ethibel Sustainability Index, MSCI Global Sustainability, MSCI Global SRI Indexes and the FTSE4Good Index.
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