Regenerative Dairy with Danone and Partners
30th June 2025
SAI Platform Annual Event 2025
As part of SAI Platform’s 2025 Annual Event, Danone hosted a field visit to farms demonstrating how regeneration in dairy can boost resilience, protect nature, and support farmers and communities.
- At Hectar, a people-first approach is redefining farming with shorter work weeks, local processing, and improved quality of life for farmers.
- Danone’s Les 2 Pieds Sur Terre programme is helping farmers adopt no-till, cover cropping, and diversified systems to store carbon and strengthen soils.
- Ferme de la Tremblaye combines agroecology, animal welfare, and full value chain control to deliver award-winning dairy with circular, B Corp-certified practices.
Social Innovation at Hectar: Rethinking the Role of the Farmer
The morning began at Hectar, a model farm and educational hub pioneering a bold vision for the future of farming. With a strong focus on social sustainability, Hectar demonstrated how it is rethinking the farming profession through a people-first lens focused on how to reduce environmental impact, attract new generations of farmers, and improve quality of life in rural communities. Participants witnessed firsthand how Lean Management tools, a rotational shift model, and a 35-hour working week are being used to improve work-life balance and reduce the mental load on farmers.
In terms of economic sustainability, Hectar presented its solution to market barriers by processing milk into yoghurt on-site and distributing 400,000 units annually through a partnership with Transgourmet. This diversification model not only strengthens financial resilience but also funds environmental improvements, such as a commitment to 100% grass-fed, pasture-based production and adapting to climate variability.
Scaling Regeneration with Danone’s Les 2 Pieds Sur Terre
Building on this, Danone shared case studies from its Les 2 Pieds Sur Terre programme, which supports partner farmers to implement regenerative practices such as cover cropping, no-till farming, and crop diversification. Through the lens of SAI Platform’s Regenerating Together Programme, participants saw how soil health, carbon storage, and long-term farm resilience can be improved hand-in-hand with productivity goals in commercial dairy supply chains.
Tradition Meets Agroecology at Ferme de la Tremblaye
The afternoon visit to Ferme de la Tremblaye offered a compelling contrast and a powerful example of how regenerative principles can be rooted in place and tradition. Operating since 1967, this fully integrated and B-Corp certified commercial farm controls its entire value chain, from growing organic fodder and ensuring animal welfare to producing award-winning cow and goat cheeses on-site. The farm also generates its own renewable energy and manages waste in a closed-loop system, demonstrating agroecology in action.
Together, the visits highlighted how dairy farming can be both climate-resilient and socially equitable with one key insight emerging: while regenerative agriculture may look different depending on the system or region, shared learning, cross-sector collaboration, and an aligned framework like the Regenerating Together Programme are essential in driving real, lasting transformation in dairy.