About Grameen
Danone
16 years of meaningful journey towards impact creation
Grameen Danone Foods Limited is the first social business enterprise of its kind in the world.
Considering the high rates of micronutrient deficiencies in Bangladeshi children, Franck Riboud (Chairman and CEO of Danone- 2005) and Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus (founder of Grameen microcredit bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate), announced the creation of Grameen Danone Foods Limited by combining the expertise of Danone in dairy and the experience of Grameen in micro-credits for deprived populations.
Founded in March 2006, Grameen Danone Foods Limited started its operation with two broad objectives of providing health through nutrition and creating employment opportunities among vulnerable communities.
Grameen Danone has introduced the brand ‘Shokti+’ in Bangladesh, which is the only Bangladeshi brand that provides fortified yogurt in the market. Our products are fortified with iron, iodine, zinc and vitamin-A ; the most essential nutrients which are generally absent in Bangladeshi population’s diet. In order to scale up its impact, Grameen Danone has also introduced fortified biscuits and other food products in Bangladesh to provide nutrition to all the family members.
We contribute to creating direct employment in its eco-system by purchasing milk from the local farmers and creating employability.
Grameen Danone became B Corp ™ certified in 2018 while proving to balance between its profit and purpose.
16
Years of Serving Nutrition
33
Fortified Products
300K+
Number of lives Impacted
Our Vision
Enabling Bangladesh to maximize untapped human potentials.
Our Mission
- Providing health through nutrition
- Creating employment opportunities among vulnerable communities.
- Scaling-up ecosystems development with impactful partnerships.
Our purpose
GDFL has been operating with two main purposes of providing health through nutrition and creating employment opportunities among vulnerable communities in its eco system. Bringing Health Through Nutrition
In alignment with its mission, Grameen Danone Foods Limited launched the first fortified yogurt in Bangladesh and named it Shokti+ yogurt—designed to deliver 30% of the daily requirement for iron, zinc, vitamin A and iodine—sold at an affordable price through a dense distribution system serving both urban and rural populations to mitigate the nutrition gap , generally found in Bangladeshi population.
We believe, by producing affordable and nutritious yogurt and biscuits, we are actively participating in improving overall health outcomes, contributing to reduce malnutrition especially in the low-income Bangladeshi families.
Creating employment opportunities in our ecosystem
Grameen Danone Foods Limited is also a source of income for the inhabitants of the surrounding villages: the small farmers sell their milk to the company. Local farmers are provided regular training to help improving their milk production quality and own livelihood.
The production process has been made simple enough to be performed by low-skilled workforce without compromising the quality at any stage of the production.
We encourage an enable women empowerment in the whole value chain of the organization.
Why this nutrition?
Products Fortified with 4 essential Nutrients: In Bangladesh, one out of two children suffers from high rates of micronutrient deficiencies particularly of vitamin A, iron, iodine and zinc, resulting in an immediate impact on physical and cognitive development .
Our products are fortified with these 4 essential nutrients : Iron, Zinc, Vitamin-A, Iodine to cover 30% of daily nutrition needs.
Iron: Helps blood formation and reduces the risk of anaemia,
Zinc: Helps with immunity and growth,
Iodine: Helps mental development,
and Vitamin A: Helps to develop eyesight.
History of Grameen Danone
Our milestones are a reflection of our commitment to this enduring journey.
How Grameen Danone Was Originated
During a visit in France in 2005, Nobel Laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus and Mr. Franck Riboud, the then Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Danone decided on the point of forming a joint venture between Grameen and Danone to create something nutritious for the underprivileged children in Bangladesh to mitigate their nutrition gap. The proposed business form was a ‘social business’ that will operate with two main purposes- providing nutrition and creating employment opportunities in the eco-system. Combining the expertise of Danone in dairy and experience of Grameen in micro-credits for deprived populations, in November 2006, Grameen Danone Foods was formed. Throughout the years, Danone Communities have supported Grameen Danone Foods Limited (GDFL) through their financial and managerial expertise.
Started journey
Factory establishment in Bogura
Factory establishment in Bogura
1st yogurt produced & selling started through Retail Operation
Milk collection
Milk collection started from local micro-farms
Modern Trade Business Started
Start of Organized Trade Business to provide fortified yogurts at subsidized price to the kids through our retail network
FSSC 22000 certified
Compliance in Danone Food safety index Site audit – FSSC 22000
B Corp certified
Certified as a B-Corp
Best For The World 2019 Honorees
Best for the world 2019 honorees
Launched the 1st fortified biscuit
Launched the 1st fortified biscuit in Bangladesh.
Best for The World 2021’ in ‘Community’
Best for The World 2021’ in ‘Community’
Launched First fortified yogurt for adult
Launched First fortified yogurt for adult
Collaborative Commitment
Antoine de Saint-Affrique, CEO of Danone and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus Spearheading Sustainable Social Entrepreneurship
- 2019-2021 has been the period of reformation, growth and innovation for Grameen Danone. While the global pandemic had compelled the world to come to a standstill, we continued providing nutrition to the consumers by executing successful door-to-door activities and took necessary measures for ensuring safety of all employees and others in the ecosystem. Studying the growing concern about health and nutrition, we introduced the first ever fortified range of biscuits in Bangladesh, in order to provide nutrition to every member in the family. We have also received awards and recognitions for the community contributions.
- We have focused on densifying network strengthening base and experiencing stable growth in all category
Click to hear from Professor Dr. Yunus himself
GDFL house of values
Grameen Danone Foods Limited is committed to provide affordable and nutritious products to help combat malnutrition and improve the health of children in Bangladesh. We believe in giving back to the communities where we operate by the mean of supporting local farmers and businesses and investing in infrastructure and social programs. We strive for excellence with five core values and those make us special and are the key sources of manifest.
Compliance
By advocating and applying high ethical standards everyday
Focus
By prioritizing and making things happen with urgency
Simplicity
By self awareness and self regulation
Digitalization
By championing digital drives
Diversity and Inclusion
By enabling high performing teams with D&I
