Because of its business restructurization, Unilever has reached an agreement to sell its cheese business Boursin to France's Le Groupe Bel for 400 million euros.

“Boursin has been a great brand for Unilever with a tremendous product offering and some memorable advertising. Having taken the decision to focus our portfolio on priorities outside the cheese category, I am confident we have found a new owner that will offer further growth and brand development opportunities for Boursin as part of their dedicated and focused cheese business”, - said Keesvan der Graaf, President Unilever Europe.

At that time Boursin produces of nearly 13 000 tons of cheese, mostly manufactured at the Pacy-sur-Eure plant (France) that employs 140 staff. The different brand lines: Boursin Cheese, Boursin Cuisine and Boursin Salad are distributed in 35 countries, with about 50% of sales in France, 30% in Europe and 20% outside Europe, particularly in the United States, Canada and Japan.

“Acquiring Boursin is an opportunity for development that our company could not pass up”, - underscored Gérard Boivin, CEO of the Bel Group. “After five years devoted to increasing successfully our profitability, the company has signaled clearly its will to speed growth, internally as well as externally. With its historic brands and the addition of Leerdammer in 2002, Bel enters a new phase in its strategy of profitable growth in purchasing Boursin.”