Lesaffre Yeast
Lesaffre Corporation is the North American subsidiary of Lesaffre Group, supplying yeast, improvers, sourdoughs, and baking solutions to industrial bakeries, distributors, foodservice operators, and panaderías across multiple branded product lines.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1853
- HeadquartersMilwaukee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Lesaffre Yeast does
Lesaffre Corporation operates as the North American subsidiary of Lesaffre Group, supplying yeast, yeast extracts, and baking ingredients to the commercial baking industry. Founded in 1853, the company self-describes as one of the largest ingredient suppliers in commercial baking and serves five named segments: Industrial Bakeries, Bakery Distributors, Artisan and Panadería (Hispanic/Latino bakery operations), Foodservice operators, and In-Store Bakeries. Its product portfolio is organized under seven brands — Red Star (home baking yeast), Saf Pro (professional improvers and the Extended Shelf Life Improver Series), Saf-Instant (instant yeast), Azteca (traditional Mexican-style ingredients including the Bolillo Base), Star Bake, Livendo (natural wheat sourdough), and Nature's Grain Guard — with multiple SKUs carrying clean label, halal, kosher, non-GMO, and vegan certifications.
The company's core technology centers on fermentation science and ingredient formulation, spanning natural and custom anti-staling solutions, devitalized wheat sourdoughs for flavor enhancement, and certified multi-attribute base mixes. Beyond ingredient supply, Lesaffre provides a solutions layer including formula development, new product ideation, and production troubleshooting, positioning the offering as a partner service rather than a pure commodity transaction. Products are sold through a B2B enterprise field sales motion with pricing not publicly disclosed; customers must request quotes directly.
The firmographic data lists the entity 'Lesaffre Yeast' at 11-50 employees in Milwaukee, which is materially inconsistent with the company's stated scale as 'one of the largest ingredient suppliers in commercial baking.' The headcount figure likely reflects a specific tracked scope (such as a sales office or a single product line) rather than the total North American subsidiary. Lesaffre Corporation is privately held as part of the Lesaffre Group conglomerate structure, with no venture capital, private equity, or public market ownership indicated in the source material.
Lesaffre Yeast firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lesaffre Yeast
- Legal name
- Lesaffre Corporation
- Website
- https://lesaffreyeast.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1853
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Lesaffre Corporation is the North American subsidiary of Lesaffre Group, supplying yeast, improvers, sourdoughs, and baking solutions to industrial bakeries, distributors, foodservice operators, and panaderías across multiple branded product lines.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lesaffre Yeast industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Baking Ingredients
- NAICS
- Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Food Manufacturing (311), Dry Pasta, Dough, and Flour Mixes Manufacturing from Purchased Flour (311824)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Leavening, Baking & Dough Conditioners (Baking Powder, Improvers) (CRADAOAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Baking Ingredients & Desserts (Flour, Mixes, Frosting, Gelatin) (CRADAAAD)
Keywords
Where Lesaffre Yeast is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milwaukee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lesaffre Yeast business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Commercial Baking Ingredients: Sale of yeast, improvers, shelf-life extenders, sourdoughs, flavoring ingredients, and other baking solutions to commercial bakers including industrial bakeries, distributors, artisan bakers, foodservice operators, and in-store bakeries. The company provides both ingredients and solutions including formula development and production support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Lesaffre Yeast product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lesaffre manufactures and supplies yeast, baking improvers, extended shelf-life (ESL) solutions, natural wheat sourdoughs, and clean-label ingredients to commercial baking operations in North America. The company sells under multiple proprietary brands (Red Star, Saf Pro, Saf-Instant, Azteca, Star Bake, Livendo, Nature's Grain Guard) and supplements product sales with technical solutions spanning formula changes, new product ideation, and production troubleshooting.
Product overview
Lesaffre is a commercial baking ingredients and solutions supplier with nearly 200 years of history, having grown from a yeast provider to one of the largest ingredient suppliers in commercial baking. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio including Red Star (home baking yeast), Saf Pro (professional enzyme and improver solutions including ESL Improver Series), Saf-Instant (instant yeast), Azteca (traditional Mexican-style ingredients including Bolillo Base), Star Bake (specialty ingredients), Livendo (sourdough and fermentation products including Natural Wheat Sourdough Series), and Nature's Grain Guard (grain protection). Beyond ingredients, Lesaffre offers comprehensive baking solutions services including clean label and organic ingredients, extended shelf life products, taste and flavor solutions, and production efficiency consulting, serving segments across industrial bakeries, bakery distributors, artisan and panadería bakers, foodservice, and in-store bakeries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Red Star: Brand serving home bakers with yeast and yeast baking products
- Saf Pro
- Saf-Instant
- Azteca
- Star Bake
- Livendo
- Nature's Grain Guard
Products and services
- Red Star Yeast
Companies that use Lesaffre Yeast
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Lesaffre Yeast technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Lesaffre Yeast partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lesaffre Yeast competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lallemand: Privately held Canadian-headquartered yeast and fermentation specialist with a Baking Division that competes head-to-head with Lesaffre on yeast, sourdoughs, and baking ingredients for commercial and artisan bakers in North America.
- Pakmaya: Turkish global yeast producer with growing presence in yeast and bakery improvers, a directly comparable supplier competing on commodity and specialty yeast for commercial baking accounts.
- Puratos: Belgian bakery, patisserie, and chocolate ingredients supplier with strong US presence, directly competing on bread improvers, sourdoughs, clean label solutions, and bakery mixes.
- AB Mauri: Global yeast and bakery ingredients supplier (subsidiary of Associated British Foods) directly competing with Lesaffre across yeast, dough conditioners, and bread improvers for industrial and craft bakers worldwide, including North America.
Broad incumbents
- Kerry Group: Global taste and nutrition company whose bakery taste, flavor, and functional ingredient systems overlap with Lesaffre's Taste & Flavor and clean label offerings for commercial bakers.
- dsm-firmenich: Global nutrition and ingredients major with bakery enzymes and yeast extracts; a broader incumbent whose ingredients and enzyme solutions compete with Lesaffre's improver portfolio.
- Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness and food ingredient giant with a milling and bakery ingredients business overlapping with Lesaffre's improver and specialty flour/base products for industrial bakeries.
- Corbion: Dutch ingredient company with bakery solutions (preservation, sourdough, enzymes) overlapping with Lesaffre's Saf Pro and Livendo lines, serving industrial bakeries and foodservice globally.
- Cargill: Global food and ingredient company with grain-based ingredients, oils, and bakery solutions that compete with Lesaffre at industrial bakery accounts on a broader portfolio basis.
Others
- Associated British Foods (ABF): UK-listed conglomerate whose AB Mauri division is Lesaffre's primary global yeast and bakery ingredients competitor; included as the parent-level comparable for the most direct peer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lesaffre Yeast social profiles
Digital presenceLesaffre Yeast compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Lesaffre Yeast financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lesaffre Yeast leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Lesaffre Yeast funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lesaffre Yeast M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lesaffre Yeast
What does Lesaffre Yeast do?
Lesaffre manufactures and supplies yeast, baking improvers, extended shelf-life (ESL) solutions, natural wheat sourdoughs, and clean-label ingredients to commercial baking operations in North America. The company sells under multiple proprietary brands (Red Star, Saf Pro, Saf-Instant, Azteca, Star Bake, Livendo, Nature's Grain Guard) and supplements product sales with technical solutions spanning formula changes, new product ideation, and production troubleshooting.
Is Lesaffre Yeast a public or private company?
Lesaffre Yeast is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Lesaffre Yeast founded?
Lesaffre Yeast was founded in 1853. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lesaffre Yeast based?
Lesaffre Yeast is headquartered in Milwaukee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lesaffre Yeast make money?
One revenue line is on record: commercial Baking Ingredients.
Who are Lesaffre Yeast's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lallemand, Pakmaya, Puratos and AB Mauri. Broad incumbents are Kerry Group, dsm-firmenich, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Corbion and Cargill. Associated British Foods (ABF) is listed as an others.
Does Lesaffre Yeast have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lesaffre Yeast.
What industry is Lesaffre Yeast in?
Lesaffre Yeast's product category is Commercial Baking Ingredients. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAOAN, Leavening, Baking & Dough Conditioners (Baking Powder, Improvers), with a secondary code of CRADAAAD, Baking Ingredients & Desserts (Flour, Mixes, Frosting, Gelatin). Its NAICS code is 31181 and its SIC code is 2050.