Nestlé Facts: Interesting Details On This Global Food Brand

The largest food company in the world, evaluated by revenue and other metrics, is a Swiss multinational drink and food processing consortium headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland.

With a market capitalization of approximately 231 billion Swiss francs, Nestlé is the biggest food company in the world which was formed by the amalgamation of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company in 1905. It has deep local roots and a unique ability to understand its consumers and fast adaption to their preferences.

Nestlé has over 2,000 brands consisting of a wide range of food and beverage products across the globe. From infancy to adulthood, it has products for every aspect of life, even though the highest-selling category of Nestle is Powdered and Liquid Beverages following Ice Cream and Milk products.

In a fast-changing environment, the company accelerates growth through developing plant-based offerings, using recyclable packaging solutions, and promoting sustainable nutrition. Nestle has a market value of 281.3 billion dollars which provides employment to people of the countries including Asia, Africa, and Asia Oceania.

It is mostly confused with the fact that it is a Canadian company because colorful candy-coating- Nestlé Minis are prepared Nestlé Canada.

Origin And History Of Nestle

Nestlé’s origin dates back to the 1860s when the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company merged with Nestlé in 1905 established by brothers George and Charles Page and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé and founded by Henri Nestlé and expanded throughout the United States and Europe.

He was born in Germany under the name ‘Nestle,’ which means bird's nest, and the company’s trademark was based on his family's coat of arms.

However, the company grew significantly and developed milk chocolate in 1875 when Daniel Peter began the milk chocolate manufacturing process with condensed milk.

The very first product of Nestlé was called Farine Lactée, made by Henri Nestlé with condensed milk which was used on a premature baby who couldn’t tolerate his mother’s milk or other products of milk in the 1860s.

And when Henri Nestlé retired, the company retained his name as Société Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé. However, its current name was adopted in 1977.

Nestlé's sales rose during World War II with the introduction of Nescafé (a staple drink of the US military), which Maggi, Coffee-Mate, and Friskies followed. And later, in 1988, new brands such as Rolo, Kit Kat, Aero, and Smarties were introduced.

Nestlé launched a drink mix for chocolate-flavored milk in Europe called Nesquik. Since the '90s, the company made several acquisitions, including Klim, D'Onofrio, San Pellegrino, Crosse & Blackwell, Ralston Purina, Rowntree Mackintosh, Libby’s, and Spillers Petfoods. While, Nestlé merged with Cadbury and purchased one of its fiercest confectionery competitors of them - Hershey.

After tasting the massive success of their business in the US, Charles Page launched the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company targeting the UK market. In 1867, they opened Europe's first condensed milk factory and rolled the production under the brand name Milkmaid.

To combat declining confectionery sales, Nestle has been working to mutate itself into nutrition, wellness, and health since 2010. The Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences produced various products, such as beverages and protein shakes, to fight digestive health, malnutrition, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases.

Nestlé completed 150 years of producing and serving in 2016. It is worthy to note that Nestlé Milk Chocolate was discontinued due to a high amount of sugar content.

Headquarters Of Nestle

Nestle is a wholesome lifestyle brand and has its headquarter based out of Switzerland in Vevey, Vaud. Due to its popularity, it is often assumed that the main headquarters are in the US.

However, it has over 400 factories in 86 countries and operates in 197 countries worldwide. The company has most of its factories in America, with a total of 163 out of 442. Nestlé USA includes manufacturing, research and development, supply chain facilities, and corporate offices.

Nestle provides employment to approximately 335,000 people, including individuals in Asia, Africa, and Asia Oceania. The company is based in countries such as Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Bulgaria, India, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Finland, Fiji, Germany, France, Japan, Iran, Kenya, and many more.

Subsidiaries Of Nestle

Nestle acquired many successful food and confectioneries to become the global brand. It is a global company that holds more than 200 subsidiaries and associates that manufacture and sell a wide variety of products.

These include chocolate and malted beverages, refrigerated products, dairy products, mineral water, coffee, breakfast cereal, baby food, frozen foods, chocolates and confectionery, culinary, cosmetics, ice cream, pharmaceutical products, and pet foods.

One of the most important deals in Nestlé’s history is subsidizing with a licensing agreement with companies such as Starbucks Corporation, Gerber Products corporation, Nestlé Purina PetCare, Atrium Innovations Incorporation, Stouffer’s, Freshly, and The Bountiful Company. However, this acquisition was made to highlight the transparency of the company's commitment to inclusiveness, diversity, and social responsibility.

Nestlé had also joint ventured with companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Lactalis, Colgate Palmolive, Snow Brand Milk Products, Fonterra, PAI Partners, and General Mills to improve the awareness of the importance of diversity in a company which made it grow bigger in markets.

Apart from this, Nestlé is one of the principal shareholders of the world’s largest cosmetics company L’Oréal.

Different Nestle Products

Nestlé currently has over 2,000 brands that operate through seven business segments, including nutrition and health science, powdered and liquid beverages, water, milk products, ice cream, prepared dishes and cooking aids, pet food, and confectionery.

The healthcare, nutrition, science, and business segment includes baby foods and infant formula engaging in vitamins, minerals, and supplements, which made Nestlé so well known. These products are Cerelac, Gerber, NaturNes, Boost, Peptamen, Nutren Junior, Resource.

Besides, powdered and liquid beverages include cocoa, coffee, tea categories, and malt beverages. The major brands are such as Nespresso, Nescafé, Milo, Dolce Gusto, Starbucks Coffee at home, and Blue Bottle Coffee.

The world’s biggest bottled water brand, Nestlé's water business segment includes Nestlé Pure Life, S. Pellegrino, and Perrier. Nestlé milk products and ice cream offer dairy products made with condensed milk which includes Dreyer’s, Nestlé Ice Creams, Extreme, Haagen- Dazs, Mövenpick, Nido, Coffee-Mate, La Laitière, and Carnation.

Moreover, daily staples – from ambient, bouillons, chilled culinary products, and soups– to frozen and refrigerated foods, Nestlé’s prepared dishes and cooking aids segment includes Winiary, Thomy, Crosse & Blackwell, Buitoni, Hot Pockets, Maggie, Lean Cuisine, Chef-Mate, Minor’s, and more.

Pet care and confectionary businesses include Bakers Complete, Gourmet, Purina, Purina one, Fancy Feast, Dog Chow, Felix, Pro plan, KitKat, Milky bar, Nestlé Les Recettes de l'Atelier, Quality Street, Toll House, Smarties, and the list continues.