NESTL SA

multinational manufacturer of food products. It is headquartered in Vevey, Switz., and operates factories, sales offices, depots, and other units in more than 70 countries. Nestl's chief products are condensed and powdered milk; baby foods; cheeses; chocolate products; candies; instant coffees and teas; soups; seasonings and condiments; preserved and canned meats, fruits, and vegetables; frozen foods; ice cream; bottled water; and wine. The company also produces pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in addition to running restaurants and hotels. The company dates to 1866, when two separate Swiss enterprises were founded that would later form the core of Nestl. In August of that year, Charles A. and George Page, brothers from the United States, established the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company in Cham, Switz. In September, in nearby Vevey, Henri Nestl developed a milk-based baby food and soon began marketing it. In the succeeding decades both enterprises aggressively expanded their businesses throughout Europe and the United States. (Henri Nestl retired in 1875, but the company, under new ownership, retained his name in Farine Lacte Henri Nestl.) In 1877 Anglo-Swiss added milk-based baby foods to its products, and in the following year the Nestl company added condensed milk, so that the firms became direct and fierce rivals. In 1905, however, the companies merged to become the Nestl and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, a name retained until 1947, when the name Nestl Alimentana SA was adopted as a result of the acquisition of Fabrique de Produits Maggi SA (founded 1884) and its holding company, Alimentana SA of Kempttal, Switz.; Maggi was a major manufacturer of soup mixes and related foodstuffs. The company shortened its name to the present one in 1977. From the beginning of the century the Nestl company began diversifying. In 1904 it bought chocolate rights that would eventually result in products under the Peter, Kohler, Nestl, and Cailler brands. In 1927 it acquired rights from the cheesemakers Gerber & Company AG. In 1937 the company invented instant coffee, which it began producing under the name Nescaf the following year. In 1960 it acquired control of Crosse & Blackwell (founded 1830) and affiliated companies in Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, the United States, and elsewhere. By 1970 it had acquired majority control of Libby, McNeill & Libby (founded 1863), headquartered in Chicago. In 1973 it acquired Stouffer Corporation of Cleveland, and in 1984 it acquired the Carnation Company in California. Its many branches and subsidiares are spread over all continents, making Nestl one of the world's largest food manufacturers.