Find out how this project promotes economic growth and social progress, from milk production to marketing.
Découvrez comment ce projet favorise la croissance économique et le progrès social, de la production de lait à sa commercialisation.
La Laiterie du Berger: sustainable innovation for the Senegalese dairy sector
After studying veterinary medicine, Bagoré Bathily meets the livestock herders of the Peul community in northern Senegal. This meeting makes him aware of the tough living conditions in rural areas and the challenges faced by this semi-nomadic community.
He discovers a paradoxical reality: although nearly 4 million Senegalese, mainly Peuls, live off livestock farming, 90% of the milk consumed in the country's major cities is imported, primarily in the form of milk powder. This finding drives him to set up a dairy company that collects and processes local milk.
In 2006, he founded La Laiterie du Berger with a double mission: to boost local milk production and improve the living conditions of herders. The company collects milk from semi-nomadic herders along the Senegal River and processes it in a factory in Richard Toll into products sold locally under the brand names Dolima ("I want a little more" in Wolof) and Kossam ("milk" in Fulani).
La Laiterie du Berger’s impact
La Laiterie du Berger has helped to strengthen and diversify the Senegalese economy. The company has played a role in structuring a still underdeveloped local dairy sector. Before the company was set up, few people had professional experience in collecting, processing, or distributing milk. It has made a major contribution to the professionalization of this sector throughout the entire value chain:
- support for herders to modernize their production (access to feed, credit, and veterinary services);
- innovative processing methods in a modern factory in Richard Toll;
- marketing and distribution of dairy products through a wide network of shops and supermarkets.
The products of La Laiterie du Berger, made from fresh milk among other ingredients, are both nutritious and affordable. For Senegalese consumers, they offer a healthy alternative to dairy products on the informal market.
However, the greatest added value of La Laiterie du Berger lies in its direct impact on the lives of its employees (around 900) and of the 3,000 families of farmers who supply it with milk.
The collaboration with La Laiterie du Berger has significantly improved the living and working conditions of the herders. Thanks to stable incomes, training, and services provided, their daily lives have improved. Their lifestyle has become less nomadic, allowing their children to go to school and have better future prospects.
The support of BIO Invest and Belgian cooperation
BIO, the instrument of the Belgian development cooperation in support of the private sector in developing countries, plays an important role in the development of companies like La Laiterie du Berger. These companies are engines of economic growth and prosperity.
To launch his project in 2006, Bagoré Bathily received financial support from international investors such as Investisseurs & Partenaires pour le Développement. A few years later, additional funding came from sources like Grameen Crédit Agricole and Danone Communities.
Since 2010, faced with additional financing needs, he has turned to BIO Invest. The three successive loans granted by BIO between 2010 and 2024 were crucial for the company. They enabled La Laiterie du Berger to achieve several milestones in its development (a significant increase in its annual production capacity and the introduction of new products) and to become the success it is today.
These investments are a perfect reflection of BIO Invest’s objective: to support young local companies with great economic and social potential by offering them funding inaccessible on the private market.
An exemplary collaboration between Senegal and Belgium
The cooperation between Senegal and Belgium is an example of sustainable partnerships and multilateral initiatives with concrete results. Thanks to the joint efforts of local governments, communities, and international partners, including Belgium, significant progress has been made in areas such as education, health, and social protection.
Initiatives in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, funded by regional and European partnerships, have also contributed to inclusive economic growth, focused on equality and poverty reduction.
The story of La Laiterie du Berger is one more example of the catalytic effect of Belgian development funds, transforming the lives of entire families and communities.
Discover La Laiterie du Berger's products on their website. Learn more about the link between investment and cooperation on the BIO Invest website.