LOUIS FRANCOIS

In 1908, Louis François, born in 1882, founded his laboratory in Paris with a clear ambition: to support French food artisans and manufacturers. He built on Louis Pasteur's advances, notably the pasteurization of milk and liquid eggs. Aware of the challenges of preservation and food safety, he specialized in dry ingredients, which were more stable and easier to transport. His expertise soon extended to texture and emulsions in pastry, chocolate, confectionery and cooking, with flagship products such as agar-agar, gum arabic, gum tragacanth and egg powder. At the same time, the first pectin production plant opened in Germany in 1908, an ingredient discovered in 1825 by French chemist Henri Braconnot. Louis François quickly recognized its potential and incorporated it into his development. Today, it is one of Louis François' areas of excellence.