France: Danone expands skyr production

Danone, the French food and beverage multinational, is investing €20 million ($23 million) to expand its skyr production capacity across two manufacturing sites in Normandy, France.

The investment will be divided between the company’s facilities in Ferrieres-en-Bray and Le Molay-Littry. At Ferrieres-en-Bray, which is considered the birthplace of Danone skyr in the country, the firm plans to install two new production lines with the aim of increasing capacity by more than 80% by 2027. Meanwhile, the Le Molay-Littry plant will begin producing skyr for the first time, including organic varieties under the Les 2 Vaches brand.

According to Danone, the project is part of a broader industrial strategy to relocalise 45,000 tonnes of production to France by the end of 2026. The move follows the company entering exclusive negotiations to sell its Michel et Augustin brand as it narrows its focus to core health-oriented categories.

High-protein products, including skyr and kefir, were a key driver of Danone’s 2.7% like-for-like sales growth in the first quarter of 2026. Danone claimed the investment would “secure and consolidate” existing local jobs, following similar recent expansions at the company’s sites in Canada and the USA.

Source: Process Alimentaire / Dairy Business Middle East & Africa / Just Food