Levant Beverage & Dairy Industries SAL (LBDI) was established in 1998 as a fresh milk and dairy products provider by Chafic Ghandour. The LBDI established, back then, what was the first fully integrated line of products in the dairy market in Lebanon, with a full product line of milk, cheeses, and creams. Through its flagship brand Dairiday, LBDI went through many challenges over the past couple of decades, modifying its ownership structure and tackling bottlenecks at the decision-making level.
Introducing Import Replacement Products
LBDI applied to the Food System Challenge with a project to develop locally produced cooked processed cheese products, to replace imported products with a high-quality, more affordable offering.
The project will allow LBDI to increase the number of milk producers it works with from 50 to 80 with an estimated addition of 307 tons of milk per year. The project will also help sustain the jobs of the 268 employees working in the company and create new jobs for the new production line.
The Food System Challenge
The Food System Challenge is implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP) and Berytech through support from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The program’s main outcomes are enhanced food security, a well-functioning local food system, enhanced efficiency and resilience of cooperatives and SMEs working across different streams of the food systems, and to increased employment opportunities, especially for women and vulnerable individuals.
