Danone exits stake in Lifeway Foods

The dairy giant is selling off its shares in the kefir maker, ending a long and tumultuous relationship between the two companies.

What happened

Danone is selling its stake in Lifeway Foods months after confirming it would no longer pursue an acquisition of the fast-growing kefir maker.

The dairy giant, which controls 22.7% of Lifeway, told Food Dive in a statement that it entered an agreement to sell off its shares after "having explored all options regarding our existing holding."

Why it matters

Danone has been a shareholder of Lifeway for more than two decades and has tried to acquire the kefir maker multiple times. Danone was considering yet another play at a potential takeover last fall, but abandoned the proposal to explore opportunities within its own brands.

Danone is ending a long and tumultuous relationship with Lifeway, which has been marked by tit-for-tat lawsuits and accusations that Danone engaged in "corporate bullying."

Lifeway has seen booming sales as demand grows for ingredients like protein and fiber, with the company recently surpassing $60 million in net quarterly sales for the first time. Kefir is a fermented dairy drink that contains more probiotics than yogurt, and the category is seeing strong demand connected to the rise of GLP-1 medications for weight loss.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Food Dive on 2026-05-19. The original report is linked below.