La Serenísima
An Argentine dairy brand and trade name of Mastellone Hermanos S.A., known for milk, cultured dairy products, cheese, butter and other refrigerated foods.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
La Serenísima is the principal trade name of Mastellone Hermanos S.A., an Argentine dairy company headquartered in General Rodríguez, Buenos Aires Province. The business traces its official establishment to 1929, when Sardinian immigrant Antonino Mastellone began producing mozzarella and ricotta after arriving in Argentina. He initially transported the products by train to Buenos Aires neighborhoods with large Italian immigrant communities, including La Boca, Barracas and San Telmo. The company’s name refers to an Italian aviation squadron associated with the First World War and, indirectly, to the historic Republic of Venice, commonly known as La Serenissima. From its origins as a small cheese producer, La Serenísima expanded into industrial milk processing and became one of Argentina’s best-known dairy businesses. It incorporated in 1942 and acquired its first delivery truck in 1935, steps that supported a transition from local artisanal distribution to a broader refrigerated network. By 1960, the company was among the Argentine businesses producing pasteurized milk at industrial scale, enabling year-round distribution. In 1964 it established a research laboratory and became an early Argentine dairy company to print nutritional information on its milk containers. The brand’s portfolio grew beyond basic milk and cheese to include yogurt, cultured milk, butter, dulce de leche, desserts, juices and specialized nutritional products. It introduced lactose-free milk in Argentina in 1984, entered cultured milk in 1988, developed large-scale organic dairy production in 1994 and introduced products fortified with iron sulfate. During the 1990s and 2000s, product development included phytosterol-enriched milk, infant juices and milk enriched with linoleic acid. The company also used partnerships to broaden its chilled-food range: a juice venture with Tropicana began in 1994, while a 1996 joint venture with Danone focused on yogurt and desserts. Danone later brought the Activia brand to Argentina through the relationship. La Serenísima also operates across multiple price and product segments. In 1978, Mastellone Hermanos acquired rights to the historic La Martona name, although products under that name were not commercialized by Mastellone until 2019. That year the company added La Armonía as a lower-priced line for products such as milk and dulce de leche, alternating with La Martona as an economy offering. The portfolio therefore combines mainstream branded dairy, value-oriented products and higher-value functional or nutritionally differentiated offerings. Pascual Mastellone, the founder’s son, led the company for more than five decades after taking over as chairman in 1952. He retired in 2013 for health reasons and died in 2014. The business has remained a major participant in Argentina’s dairy industry. The reference material reports that, in 2018, it generated approximately US$900 million in sales and processed more than 3.2 million liters of milk per day; those figures are historical and should not be read as current financial guidance. In September 2024, the company reported that nearly 63% of its energy supply came from renewable sources following an agreement with MSU Green Energy.
History
La Serenísima began with Antonino Mastellone, a Sardinian cheese-maker who arrived in Argentina in 1925. He produced mozzarella and ricotta in General Rodríguez and personally took the products by train to Buenos Aires, where Italian immigrant communities provided a natural customer base. October 26, 1929, the date of Mastellone’s marriage to Teresa Aiello, was adopted as the company’s official founding date. The business acquired its first delivery truck in 1935 and was formally incorporated in 1942. Mastellone selected the name La Serenísima in reference to an Italian aviation squadron from the First World War. The squadron was associated with a peace-oriented leaflet mission over Vienna, while its name ultimately evoked Venice’s historic title, La Serenissima. The company gradually moved from small-scale cheese-making into industrial dairy processing. By 1960 it was one of the Argentine producers of pasteurized milk operating at mass scale. In 1964 it created its own research laboratory and became an early local dairy company to provide nutritional information on milk packaging. The company expanded its product and brand assets over the following decades. In 1978, Mastellone Hermanos obtained rights to La Martona, a historic Argentine dairy name founded in 1889. La Martona had ceased operations after bankruptcy, and Mastellone did not use the name for a commercial milk line until 2019. La Serenísima introduced lactose-free milk in 1984, became a leading yogurt seller during a period of rapidly increasing Argentine yogurt consumption, and launched cultured milk locally in 1988. In 1994 it developed large-scale organic dairy farming and became an early Argentine producer to fortify dairy products with iron sulfate. The 1990s brought several partnerships and marketing initiatives. In 1994, La Serenísima formed a joint venture with Tropicana to sell chilled, not-from-concentrate juices, combining Tropicana’s juice expertise with La Serenísima’s refrigerated distribution system. That venture later ended after Tropicana was acquired by PepsiCo. In 1996, Mastellone entered a joint venture with Danone for the production, marketing and distribution of yogurt and desserts under the La Serenísima name. Through the relationship, Activia entered the Argentine market in 2005. Product development continued with phytosterol-enriched milk in 2000, juices for infants in 2001 and linoleic-acid-enriched milk in 2003. The company also created an environmental impact bureau in 2002 and participated in fundraising for the Favaloro Foundation in 2003. During the 2010s it continued launching dairy-derived products through collaborations involving Danone, Cabrales and other partners. Pascual Mastellone, Antonino’s son, assumed the company’s leadership in 1952 and remained chairman for more than 50 years. He retired in 2013 because of health problems and died in 2014. In 2019, the company used the La Armonía name for a lower-priced milk and dulce de leche range, with La Martona also serving as an economy-oriented brand. By 2018, the company was reported to have sales of approximately US$900 million and to process more than 3.2 million liters of milk daily. In 2024, it announced that renewable sources supplied nearly 63% of its energy following an agreement with MSU Green Energy.
- 2024
Renewable-energy supply announcement
[1]The company announced that nearly 63% of its energy supply came from renewable sources under an agreement with MSU Green Energy.
- 2019
La Armonía value range launched
[1]La Armonía milk and dulce de leche were introduced as lower-priced products.
- 1996
Danone yogurt and dessert joint venture
[1]Mastellone and Danone entered a joint venture covering yogurt and dessert production, sales and distribution.
- 1994
Organic dairy expansion and Tropicana venture
[1]La Serenísima began large-scale organic dairy farming and formed a chilled-juice venture with Tropicana.
- 1988
Cultured milk launch
[1]The company introduced cultured milk to the Argentine market.
- 1984
Lactose-free milk introduced
[1]La Serenísima pioneered the sale of lactose-free milk in Argentina.
- 1978
Acquisition of La Martona rights
[1]Mastellone Hermanos acquired rights to the historic La Martona dairy name.
- 1964
Research laboratory and nutrition labeling
[1]The company established a research laboratory and began providing nutritional information on each milk bottle.
- 1960
Industrial pasteurized milk production
[1]La Serenísima became one of the Argentine companies producing pasteurized milk at mass scale.
- 1942
Company incorporation
[1]Mastellone’s business was incorporated.
Products and positioning
A trusted, mass-market Argentine dairy brand combining broad refrigerated distribution with product quality, food safety, nutritional innovation and a portfolio spanning standard, functional, premium and value-oriented dairy products.
Dairy
Milk
Milk is the core category associated with La Serenísima. The brand has sold pasteurized milk at industrial scale since the mid-twentieth century and has extended the category with lactose-free, fortified, functional and value-oriented variants.
Fermented dairy · 1988
Yogurt and cultured dairy
La Serenísima’s fermented dairy portfolio includes yogurt and cultured milk. The company became a leading participant in Argentina’s yogurt market and developed products through its long-running relationship with Danone, including the local introduction of Activia in 2005.
Dairy · 1929
Cheese
Cheese was the company’s original product category. Antonino Mastellone began with mozzarella and ricotta, and cheese remained an important part of the wider La Serenísima dairy portfolio.
Dairy spread
Dulce de leche
Dulce de leche is sold within the La Serenísima portfolio and also appears in the company’s economy-oriented La Armonía and La Martona offerings.
Functional dairy · 2000
Functional and fortified milk
The company has developed nutritionally differentiated milk products, including iron-fortified milk, phytosterol-enriched milk and milk enriched with linoleic acid.
Value dairy · 2019
La Armonía
La Armonía is a lower-priced brand line introduced in 2019. Its reported products include milk and dulce de leche, and it functions as an economy alternative within the company’s broader brand architecture.
Marketing campaigns
- 1995La Serenísima advertising blimp
Argentina
The company acquired a large airship for advertising and sent it on promotional flights over Argentina. The blimp was approximately 59 meters long and operated with two Porsche engines.
Outcome. The airship operated until November 22, 1996, when bad weather and strong winds destroyed it during an emergency landing; no injuries were reported.
- 1960El Recetario de Doña Petrona
Argentina
La Serenísima worked with celebrity cook and cookbook author Petrona C. de Gandulfo to promote recipes using its cheeses. The resulting booklet served as a branded advertising and consumer-education piece.
Outcome. The campaign linked the dairy brand with a prominent Argentine culinary personality and home cooking.
Brand decisions
2024
Renewable-energy sourcing agreementStrategyBackground
La Serenísima sought to increase the renewable share of the energy used in its operations.
Action taken
The company signed an agreement with MSU Green Energy and announced that nearly 63% of its energy supply came from renewable sources.
Aftermath
The announcement positioned energy sourcing as part of the company’s environmental and operational strategy.
2019
Expansion of economy-oriented dairy offeringsPrice changeBackground
The company maintained a portfolio covering multiple consumer price points in the Argentine dairy market.
Action taken
It introduced La Armonía milk and dulce de leche as lower-priced products and used La Martona as another economy-oriented option.
Aftermath
The two names became part of the company’s value-segment brand architecture.
1996
Danone yogurt and dessert partnershipStrategyBackground
The companies sought to combine Danone’s yogurt expertise with Mastellone’s Argentine dairy manufacturing and distribution capabilities.
Action taken
Mastellone and Danone established a joint venture for producing, selling and distributing yogurt and desserts under the La Serenísima brand.
Aftermath
The relationship supported subsequent local product development, including Activia’s Argentine introduction in 2005.
1994
Entry into chilled juices through a Tropicana joint ventureStrategyBackground
La Serenísima sought to use its refrigerated distribution network beyond dairy products while Tropicana contributed juice expertise.
Action taken
The companies formed a joint venture to market not-from-concentrate, perishable juices in Argentina.
Aftermath
The venture later ended after Tropicana was acquired by PepsiCo.
Sources1 sources
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