Daniel Carasso
Encyclopedia
Daniel Carasso a member of the prominent Sephardic Jewish
Carasso family and the son of Isaac Carasso
, founded the United States Dannon company and built up the Groupe Danone
into a multinational business.
, was born in Salonica, Greece, then part of the Ottoman Empire
, where his family had lived for four hundred years following Spain's expulsion of Jews
. In 1916, after the Balkan Wars
, the family moved to Barcelona. In 1919, Carasso's father began marketing a yogurt that he named after his son, Daniel, whose nickname in Catalan was Danon.
In 1923, Carasso enrolled in business school in Marseille
, France
and studied bacteriology
at the Pasteur Institute
. He took over the family business and in 1939, opened a branch in France.
Forced to flee the Nazis in 1941, he settled in the United States
. Carasso returned to France in 1951.He died at his home in Paris at the age of 103.
.
In 1947, Dannon added jam to its yogurt as a concession to American tastes and succeeded in growing sales to a broad market. He expanded the business into cheeses and other foodstuffs, and bought the American company from Beatrice Foods in 1981, changing the name to Groupe Danone.
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
Carasso family and the son of Isaac Carasso
Isaac Carasso
The Carasso family was a prominent Sephardic Jewish family in Ottoman Selanik...
, founded the United States Dannon company and built up the Groupe Danone
Groupe Danone
Groupe Danone is a French food-products multinational corporation based in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It claims world leadership in fresh dairy products, marketed under the corporate name, and also in bottled water...
into a multinational business.
Biography
Daniel Carasso, son of Isaac CarassoIsaac Carasso
The Carasso family was a prominent Sephardic Jewish family in Ottoman Selanik...
, was born in Salonica, Greece, then part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, where his family had lived for four hundred years following Spain's expulsion of Jews
Alhambra decree
The Alhambra Decree was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain ordering the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Spain and its territories and possessions by 31 July of that year.The edict was formally revoked on 16 December 1968, following the Second...
. In 1916, after the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
, the family moved to Barcelona. In 1919, Carasso's father began marketing a yogurt that he named after his son, Daniel, whose nickname in Catalan was Danon.
In 1923, Carasso enrolled in business school in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and studied bacteriology
Bacteriology
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classification, and characterization of bacterial species...
at the Pasteur Institute
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
. He took over the family business and in 1939, opened a branch in France.
Forced to flee the Nazis in 1941, he settled in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Carasso returned to France in 1951.He died at his home in Paris at the age of 103.
Dannon yoghurt
In 1942, he formed a partnership with two family friends, Joe Metzger, a Swiss-born Spanish businessman, and his son Juan. They bought a small Greek yogurt company, Oxy-Gala, and founded Dannon Milk Products in Bronx, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
In 1947, Dannon added jam to its yogurt as a concession to American tastes and succeeded in growing sales to a broad market. He expanded the business into cheeses and other foodstuffs, and bought the American company from Beatrice Foods in 1981, changing the name to Groupe Danone.