On 28 May 2025, in the presence of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and Prabowo Subianto, President of the Republic of Indonesia, Lesaffre and its long-standing partner Citra Bonang signed an investment agreement in Jakarta, Indonesia. This agreement formalizes both parties’ commitment to establishing a manufacturing facility in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, with the objective of reducing imports, increasing exports, supporting local businesses and contribute to Indonesian food resiliency.
This agreement is signed by the Indonesian Group PT Citra Bonang and the French Compagnie des Levures Lesaffre, a key global leader in fermentation and yeast production since 1853. Lesaffre and Citra Bonang have been working together since 2000 to distribute French baker’s yeast in Indonesia. This agreement recognizes the strategic importance of strengthening Indonesia’s national production capacities in the fermentation industry.
“PT Citra Bonang is proud to have worked alongside Lesaffre since 2000 in providing Indonesian bakers with high-quality products that meet international standards. It is an honor to have attracted a global industry leader like Lesaffre to invest in Indonesia, reflecting the strength of our partnership and the potential of Indonesian market. The signing of the second-phase investment marks a significant milestone and reaffirms PT Citra Bonang’s commitment to supporting government efforts to reduce imports, strengthen local production, and increase foreign exchange earnings for Indonesia.” Says Kris Willuan, Chairman of Citra Bonang Group.
“The signing of this investment agreement between Lesaffre and Citra Bonang testifies to the importance of the agri-food sector at the highest levels of both States. Today, I am proud to reaffirm Lesaffre’s commitment to pursuing its investments in Indonesia. We are dedicated to contributing, alongside the French and Indonesian authorities, to the development of this essential sector, which is also strategic for our Group. This agreement underscores the shared determination of our States and our company to work for the growth of this industry, in Indonesia as well as elsewhere in the world.” Says Brice-Audren Riché, Lesaffre CEO.
Lesaffre plant enters phase 2 of construction
The signing of this investment agreement comes as Lesaffre’s plant in Malang is in the final study steps for phase 2 of its construction. This new stage was planned and testifies to the smooth operation of this production unit, which combines state-of-the-art technologies and Lesaffre’s long-standing industrial expertise. Thanks to this high-performance production tool, the Group can provide excellent quality products to the growing markets it serves. This phase 2 will significantly increase the plant’s capacity to meet the growing demand for innovative baking solutions. This investment confirms the group’s long-standing commitment to developing its activities in Indonesia and in the Region.
Lesaffre has been commercially active in Indonesia for over 40 years. PT Saf Indonusa, Lesaffre’s first Indonesian subsidiary incorporated in 2000 today employs more than 130 employees through its baking ingredients blending plant in Surabaya, Jakarta head office and four Baking Center™ and sales offices in Jakarta, Medan, Semarang, Surabaya. The plant completes the already active blending plant for baking ingredients in the Surabaya region.
With this plant, built on 9.8 ha land in Malang Regency, East Java, Lesaffre has been strengthening its geographical footprint close to its customers, to provide them with quality products. This plant allows the Group to supply baking yeast in Indonesia and ASEAN countries. This new entity, PT Lesaffre Sari Nusa, is a partnership between Lesaffre and its Indonesian long lasting partner PT Citra Bonang and employs today more than 200 employees.