150 Years of Nestlé
Nestlé is committed to unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come. Worldwide, more than one billion servings of Nestlé products are consumed per day, and we are transforming our product portfolio by focusing on high-growth categories. Our primary focus continues to be meeting consumer needs; including Petcare, coffee, consumer health, and infant nutrition. With 7 product categories, 2,000 brands, and 10,000 different products manufactured in 354 factories within 79 counties—we can be present for every moment of every day, morning to night, and birth to old age.
In 1867, Henri Nestlé, a pharmacy apprentice, was troubled by the high infant death rate. Using his scientific training, Henri developed ‘Farine Lactée’, and infant food that was easily digestible for infants who were not thriving on breastmilk. Word spread. Henri’s life-saving innovation set the stage for 150 years of revolutionizing products under the umbrella of what would become the largest food and beverage company in the world, Nestlé. Did you know Henri was one of the first Swiss manufacturers to build up a brand with the help of a logo? See how the Nestlé logo has evolved over 150 years. Now behind the familiar bird’s nest logo are operations that span 186 countries including nearly 270,000 employees.
In 1905, Nestlé merged with Anglo Swiss to form Nestlé & Anglo Swiss Milk Company. This merger eventually evolved into the Nestlé Group in 1977. What made the company so successful at the time? Investing in science-based products and using modern factories to produce them efficiently. It’s a blueprint that still applies today for every single one of Nestlé’s operating companies, Purina included. Nestlé’s rich company history is fascinating, and you can learn more about that rich history by traveling through our timeline here.
From global icons to local favorites, browse a selection of our brands in the table below, or search our A-Z brand list.
| Baby foods | Cerelac, Gerber, Gerber Graduates, NaturNes, Nido |
| Bottled water | Perrier, Aqua Panna, S. Pellegrino |
| Cereals | Lion Cereals, Cheerios, Fitness, Nesquik Cereal |
| Chocolate & confectionery | Aero, Nestlé L’Atelier, Milkybar, Baci, KitKat, Smarties |
| Coffee | Nescafé, Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Starbucks at Home, Blue Bottle Coffee |
| Culinary, chilled, and frozen food | Maggi, DiGiorno, Mezeast, Thomy, Garden Gourmet, Sweet Earth, Callier |
| Dairy | Carnation, Coffee-Mate, La Laitière |
| Drinks | Milo, Nesquick, Nestea, Nescafé |
| Food service | Chef, Chef-Mate, Maggi, Milo, Minor´s, Nescafé, Nestea, Sjora, Lean Cuisine, Stouffer's |
| Healthcare nutrition | Boost, Nutren Junior, Peptamen, Resource |
| Ice cream | Dreyer's, Extrême, Häagen-Dazs, Mövenpick, Nestlé Ice Cream |
| Petcare | Purina, Purina ONE, Alpo, Felix, Pro Plan, Cat Chow, Fancy Feast, Gourmet, Bakers, Friskies, Dog Chow, Beneful, Merrick |
| Plant-Based Products | Garden Gourmet, Nescafé Gold, KitKat, Milo, Natural Bliss, Starbucks, Carnation, Sweet Earth |
With 7 operating companies within the Nestlé organization, we’re made up of a diverse and modern workforce with over 270,000 employees. Learn more about our Nestlé operating companies and their career opportunities by clicking on the company name below:
