Louis Dreyfus GroupLéopold Louis-Dreyfus established the Louis Dreyfus Group in 1851. The
company has remained wholly owned by the Louis-Dreyfus family and its current president and chief
executive officer, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, is the great-grandson of the founder.
A farmer's son, Léopold started by buying wheat in Alsace for resale in Basel, Switzerland.
His business grew throughout Europe and the international headquarters were established in Paris.
Through the 20th century Louis Dreyfus pursued new and diverse opportunities in a wide range
of markets. Léopold Louis-Dreyfus embodied the qualities with which this has been done: vision,
discipline and energy.
The activities upon which the company's growth has been based include merchandising and
trading of various bulk commodities, citrus processing, oilseed crushing, shipping, rice milling,
gas exploration and production, real estate and telecommunications.
A leading French multinational company, Louis Dreyfus today employs more than 12,000 people
in over 53 countries.
Louis Dreyfus Africa
Following the issuance of a license for the purpose shipping and grain trading activities,
Louis Dreyfus Africa (LDA) opened its first office in Cape Town in 1924. This makes the company one
of the oldest trading houses in the South African market. Subsequently, LDA's head office was moved
to Johannesburg.
In the local market, LDA enjoyed close relationships with the various marketing boards as
well as with millers, compounders and traders. This included an exclusive and long-standing
chartering and shipping agreement with the South African Wheat Board.
LDA Africa has, from its earliest beginnings until today, been actively involved in bulk
commodity markets throughout the African continent. In the early 1970's, representative offices had
been set up in Mozambique, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Malawi.
In the 1990's, in response to opportunities presented by the deregulation of the marketing
boards and formation of the South African Futures Exchange, LDA established itself as one of the
leading traders in the Sub Saharan grain and oilseed markets.
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