The first commercially sold infant formula; the first condensed milk produced in Europe; the first milk chocolate; the first soluble coffee; the first freeze-dried coffee; the first granulated instant coffee -- to name just a few.

Today, the Nestle Company has grown and expanded to include the widest range of wholesome foods for people throughout the world.

Nestle now produces the world's favorite brands in 489 factories worldwide. In 130 years of growth and diversification, we have never lost sight of our core business: improving the quality of people's lives through high-quality, nutritious, and convenient prepared foods and beverages. Today, Nestle brands are known on every continent, and some products -- like Nescafe, Carnation and Maggi -- are sold in more than 100 countries.

TO LEARN MORE

RELATED INFORMATION:
The Entrepreneur    from The Great Idea Finder
Invention of Nestle's Baby Formula   from The Great Idea Finder
Invention of Nestle's Toll House Cookies    from The Great Idea Finder
History of Food and Drink    from The Great Idea Finder

ON THE BOOKSHELF:
Nestlé: The Secrets of Food, Trust and Globalization
by Friedhelm Schwarz, Schwarz / Hardcover: 256 pages / Key Porter Books (May 1, 2002)
Informative history of one of the world's largest multinationals - from the company's formation in 1866 to the post-scandal era, from founding fathers to current CEO Helmut Maucher. Readers will learn about the company's organization and business practices, its successful globalization, and its efforts to diversify.
Leadership in Action: Tough-Minded Strategies from the Global Giant
by Helmut Maucher / Hardcover: 160 pages / McGraw-Hill; (June 1994)
In matters of leadership on the global frontier, Helmut Maucher knows more than almost anyone. Readers everywhere will devour his inside look at Nestle's $38 billion operations, and the secrets of its success.

ON THE WEB:
Nestle Company History
Henri Nestle, scientist and businessman, founded Nestlé over 130 years ago.
URL: www.nestle.com/All_About/History/History+introduction.htm)
Chocolate History
The technical genius of these pioneers seems to have been almost inexhaustible; their inventive skill showed it- self not only in the development of ever more efficient machinery, but also in their constantly more refined recipes for the manufacture of chocolate.
(URL: www.chocolat.ch/)
Chocolate: A Rich History
Chocolate's universal appeal has been perfected only through ages of delicious experimentation. Article from etc. magazine, City College of San Francisco
(URL: www.ccsf.cc.ca.us/Events_Pubs/Guardsman/etc/etcfall97/chocolate.htm)
Candy USA
KidsCandy is all good news because it is sponsored by The National Confectioners Association and The Chocolate Manufacturers Association.
(URL: www.candyusa.org)

DID YOU KNOW?:

• In 1662, renowned English physician Henry Stubbe advocated that one ounce of chocolate contained more fat and nourishment than a pound of meat; he began writing medical prescriptions made from chocolate
• During this time, Sir Hans Sloane (of Sloane Square) discovered that chocolate tasted better when made with milk instead of water. He kept his discovery a trade secret for some time before selling the recipe to a London apothecary; much later it became the property of the Cadbury brothers
• Daniel Peter produced the first form of milk chocolate in 1875; he had successfully added condensed milk (perfected by his compatriot Henri Nestle) to the bitter dark chocolate
• About 65 percent of American candy brands have been around for more than 50 years
• Seventy-one percent of American chocolate eaters prefer milk chocolate.