Registry · BN.PA
Does Danone S.A. support Israel?
Yes — Danone S.A. has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.
Filed under: Food & beverage brands · Companies that support Israel
Background
Danone's Israel link runs through Strauss: since 1996 Danone has owned 20% of Strauss's dairy business (Strauss Health), and Danone-branded fresh dairy products sold in Israel are manufactured and marketed by Strauss under an exclusive license — Strauss, an Israeli company, is the operating party. The relationship itself has a boycott history: Danone first partnered with Strauss in 1969 and withdrew in 1980 under Arab League boycott pressure before returning in the 1990s. More recently Danone's venture arm invested in Israeli food-tech startups Wilk and Imagindairy (2023). No Danone donation to the Israeli state or military is documented, including after October 7, 2023; boycott lists cite the Strauss stake and these investments.
Strauss Group (official) — Danone partnership Glass International — 1997 stake purchase Times of Israel — Danone/Wilk investment
Timeline of documented support
Documented support
| Type | Date | Amount | Recipient | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investment / program | 1996-12 | — | Strauss Health Ltd (dairy business of Israel's Strauss Group) Danone bought 20% of Strauss Health, the Strauss Group's dairy company, under agreements signed in December 1996 (deal announced May 1996, completed early 1997; market sources cited a price around $55 million, which Strauss declined to confirm). Danone appointed two directors to the board and provided technical know-how, including support for a new dairy plant at Ahihud in northern Israel. The 20% dairy stake and partnership remain in force per Strauss Group's official disclosures. | |
| Partnership | 1969 | — | Strauss Group (Israel) Danone's ties to Strauss date to a 1962 know-how agreement with Gervais (which merged into Gervais Danone); Danone bought 28% of Strauss in 1969, withdrew in 1980 under Arab League boycott pressure, and renewed the relationship through collaboration and know-how agreements culminating in the 1996 equity deal. Under the exclusive license granted with that deal, Strauss manufactures and markets Danone's fresh dairy products in Israel to this day. | |
| Investment / program | 2023-04 | $2,000,000 | Wilk (Israeli cultured-milk startup, Rehovot) Danone Manifesto Ventures, Danone's corporate venture arm, led a $3.5 million financing round in Israeli food-tech startup Wilk (formerly Biomilk), investing $2 million for at least 2% of the company's shares, with an agreement to explore strategic cooperation on cultured breast-milk components for infant formula. | |
| Investment / program | 2023-05 | — | Imagindairy (Israeli precision-fermentation dairy startup, Yokne'am) Danone Manifesto Ventures took an undisclosed minority stake in Israeli startup Imagindairy as a strategic investor — Danone's first move into precision-fermentation, animal-free milk proteins — alongside talks on R&D collaboration with Danone's teams. |
Frequently asked questions
Did Danone S.A. donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?
We have no records of cash donations, but Danone S.A. has documented support of other kinds (Investment / program, Partnership). See the records on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 7 distinct sources are cited for Danone S.A.. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.
Sources & citations
Record last updated: 2026-07-21
- Strauss Group (official) — Danone partnership strauss-group.com
- Glass International — 1997 stake purchase glassonline.com
- Wikipedia — Strauss Group (company history) en.wikipedia.org
- Times of Israel — Danone/Wilk investment timesofisrael.com
- Green Queen greenqueen.com.hk
- Times of Israel timesofisrael.com
- AgFunder News agfundernews.com