The origins of Nestlé go back to an invention by German pharmacist Henri Nestlé in 1867. Nestlé, who was working in Vevey, Switzerland, developed an alternative source of infant nutrition for mothers who were unable to breast feed. His goal was to help combat the problem of infant mortality due to malnutrition. He named his product Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, and after it saved the life of an infant who could not tolerate his mother’s milk, it was soon sold in many European countries. In the last quarter of the 19th century, the Nestlé Company was in fierce competition with the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company because they both sold condensed milk and infant formulas. The two companies merged in 1905. By 1910, the Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss Milk Company was operating factories in the United States, Britain, Germany, Spain and Australia and the Asian markets were growing rapidly. World production more than doubled during World War I. In the 1920s, Nestlé started expanding beyond its traditional product line and the manufacture of chocolate became their second most important activity. In 1938, Nescafé appeared, followed by Nestea in the early 1940s. In the period after World War II, Nestlé launched dozens of new products and acquired many other companies. The first diversification outside the food industry came in 1974, when Nestlé became a major shareholder in L'Oréal. Today, Nestlé is the world’s largest food company. Its headquarters are in Vevey, Switzerland.
The origins of Nestlé go back to an invention by German pharmacist Henri Nestlé in 1867. Nestlé, who was working in Vevey, Switzerland, developed an alternative source of ...
infant nutrition for mothers who were unable to breast feed. His goal was to help combat the problem of infant mortality due to malnutrition. He named his product Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, and after it saved the life of an infant who could not tolerate his mother’s milk, it was soon sold in many European countries. In the last quarter of the 19th century, the Nestlé Company was in fierce competition with the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company because they both sold condensed milk and infant formulas. The two companies merged in 1905. By 1910, the Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss Milk Company was operating factories in the United States, Britain, Germany, Spain and Australia and the Asian markets were growing rapidly. World production more than doubled during World War I. In the 1920s, Nestlé started expanding beyond its traditional product line and the manufacture of chocolate became their second most important activity. In 1938, Nescafé appeared, followed by Nestea in the early 1940s. In the period after World War II, Nestlé launched dozens of new products and acquired many other companies. The first diversification outside the food industry came in 1974, when Nestlé became a major shareholder in L'Oréal. Today, Nestlé is the world’s largest food company. Its headquarters are in Vevey, Switzerland.
