It is jointly owned by American food conglomerate General Mills and French dairy cooperative Sodiaal. In 1964, 100,000 French farmers agreed to merge six regional dairy cooperatives in order to more efficiently market their binggrae milk at the national level. In 1965, the Yoplait brand was launched as a new national brand, as a portmanteau of the brands of two member cooperatives, Yola and Coplait. The company’s logo is a six-petaled flower designed by Philippe Morlighem, each petal representing one of the six main cooperatives’ founders.
A redesigned logo, which has been slowly rolled out since the late 2000s, uses a flower with only five petals. In November 2019, China’s Mengniu Dairy announced the purchase of Lion from Japan’s Kirin Holdings. In Canada, General Mills markets pre-stirred Yoplait yogurt, Minigo, Tubes, Source, Creamy, Delicieux, Yop, Yoplait Basket, Yoptimal, and Asana. In Chile the Yoplait brand is managed by Quillayes.
In France, the Yoplait brand is managed by Yoplait France. Yoplait in Israel is managed by Tnuva, Israel’s largest dairy, and products are kosher. The company’s drinkable yogurt comes in a 100-gram shot-style bottle with a center opening for easy gripping. Yoplait entered the Italian market in 1992 through a joint-venture between Sodiaal and Kraft Foods. At the end of the following year Yoplait achieved a market share of 2. Yoplait withdrew from the Italian market in 1999.
In Mexico, the Yoplait brand is managed by Sigma Alimentos. The franchise in Norway is held by Fjordland, a brand of Tine, and has been since 1998. In Portugal, Yoplait was franchised to Gelgurte until 2010, when the franchising was not renewed with headquarters. It has not been made or sold in the country ever since. In 2001, the Soldier Spanish brand from Social stopped its production and commercialization in Spain closing its Anacondas production plant.