The tradition & historical record
2 min read · 2 sourcesPrésident is a French dairy brand owned by Lactalis of Laval, Mayenne. The brand was created in 1933 by André Besnier. It is used for butter and for a range of industrially produced versions of traditional cheese. 1
History
The brand was created in 1933 by André Besnier who by then was already a leading figure in the French dairy business. Explaining the name's French context, Besnier explained that "France is the land of presidents, everyone is a president: of a club of fishermen, of bowlers, of veterans". « La France est le pays des Présidents, tout le monde est président! De l'association de pêche, des boulistes, des anciens combattants. » (Presidential government had also enjoyed a higher profile in France since the return to power as president, in 1958, of leading president Charles de Gaulle.) 1
Landmark dates
1968: Launch of Président Camembert. 1972: Launch of Président Coulommiers. 1972: Launch of Président butter. 1975: Launch of Président Brie. 1991: Launch of Président Emmental range. 1993: Président sells its billionth Camembert. 1995: Launch of Président brand in Germany and United States. 1999: Launch of Président Camembert and Emmental based cheese spread. 2003: Launch of Président Mozzarella and Goats' cheese. 2006: Launch of Président Cantal. 1
Marketing
The Président camembert label has barely changed since launch. Designed to mimic premium whisky labels, its crossed palms, gold-and-black palette, and heraldry signal quality and authenticity. Its three crests represent the milk's origin regions— Brittany, Normandy, and Maine stylized simply as a golden field with a lion. 1
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Président (brand)”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1
Président is French dairy brand owned by the Laval-based Lactalis company, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2
The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 2