1866

Our history begins back in 1866, when the first European condensed milk factory
was opened in Cham, Switzerland, by the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company.

1867
In Vevey, Switzerland, our founder Henri Nestl, a German pharmacist, launched his
Farine lacte, a combination of cows milk, wheat flour and sugar, saving the life of
a neighbours child. Nutrition has been the cornerstone of our company ever since.
Henri Nestl, himself an immigrant from Germany, was instrumental in turning his
Company towards international expansion from the very start. We owe more than
our name, our logo and our first infant-food product to our founder. Henri Nestl
embodied many of the key attitudes and values that form part and parcel of our
corporate culture: pragmatism, flexibility, the willingness to learn, an open mind
and respect for other people and cultures. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Nestl
Chairman

1905
The Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, founded by Americans Charles and
George Page, merged with Nestl after a couple of decades as fierce competitors to
form the Nestl and Anglo-Swiss Milk Company.

1914
The onset of World War I brought severe disruption to us along with the rest of the
world. Acquiring raw materials and distributing products became increasingly
difficult. Shortages of fresh milk throughout Europe forced factories to sell almost all
their supplies to meet the needs of local towns.

1918
Nevertheless, the war created new demand for dairy products, largely in the form of
government contracts. To keep up, Nestl purchased several existing factories in the
United States and, by war's end, we had 40 factories worldwide.

1925
The 1920s were a time of deep economic hardship, and Nestl suffered severe
difficulties along with much of the world. Operations were partially streamlined, but
the company was able to continue, and with the acquisition of Peter, Cailler, Kohler
Swiss Chocolate Company, chocolate became an integral part of our business. This

sparked further variety in the products we offered including malted milk and a
powdered drink called Milo.

1938
Nescaf coffee was launched.

1939
During World War II, Members of the Board and General Management were
transferred to the U.S. where they coordinated Nestl activities in the Western
Hemisphere, the British Empire and overseas.

1940
In the early 1940s Nestea was launched.

1943
Ironically, having slowed the initial launch of Nescaf, the war then helped to
popularise it; with the United States entering the war, Nescaf coffee became a
staple beverage of American servicemen serving in Europe and Asia.

1945
The close of World War II marked the beginning of a particularly dynamic phase of
our history. Dozens of new products were added as our growth accelerated and we
acquired outside companies.

1947
The Maggi products, from seasoning to soups, become part of the Nestl family
following the merger with Alimentana S.A.

1948
Nesquik, the instant chocolate drink, was developed in the United States. Its original
name of Quik was a direct allusion to the speed and simplicity of its preparation.

1974
For the first time we diversified outside the food industry when we became a major
shareholder in L'Oral, one of the world's leading makers of cosmetics.

1977
Rising oil prices and slow growth in industrialised countries meant that we needed
to respond to a radically changed marketplace. In 1977, we made our second
venture outside the food industry by acquiring Alcon Laboratories Inc., a U.S.
manufacturer of pharmaceutical and ophthalmic products.

In the 1970s, declining rates of breastfeeding led a number of organisations to raise

concerns about the marketing practices of breast milk substitute manufacturers including Nestl - in developing countries. This resulted in the Infant Formula Action
Coalition launching a boycott of our products in 1977 in the United States. This
boycott was dropped in 1984.

1981
In 1981 the World Health Assembly adopted the International Code for the
Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (WHO Code) and recommended that its
Member States implement it. Nestl was the first company to develop policies
based on the WHO Code and apply them across our entire operations in developing
countries.

1984
An improved bottom line allowed us to make new acquisitions, including a public
offer of USD 3 billion for the American food giant, Carnation. At the time, this was
one of the largest acquisitions in the history of the food industry.

1986
Nespresso
The Nespresso story began in 1986 with a simple idea: enable anyone to create the
perfect cup of espresso coffee, just like a skilled barista.

1988

Buitoni logo
The Italian brand Buitoni, in Sansepolcro, became part of our portfolio in 1988.
Nestled in the hills of Tuscany, Casa Buitoni is the symbol of the brands ongoing
commitment to quality, creativity, and tradition.

In 1988, a group of organisations in the United Kingdom launched a new boycott

against Nestl. Later, as a result of our inclusion in the responsible investment index
FTSE4Good in 2011, the United Reformed Churches ended their support for this
boycott. By this time, a number of other significant stakeholders had already ended
their support for it, including the General Synod of the Church of England, the Royal
College of Midwives, and the Methodist Ethical Investment Committee.

1993
The first half of the 1990s were favourable for Nestl with the opening up of Central
and Eastern Europe, as well as China good news for a company with such far-flung
and diverse interests.

2001
Friskies from Purina

We merged with the Ralston Purina Company, which had been founded in 1983, in
2001 to form a new pet food company, Nestl Purina PetCare Company.

2002
Two major acquisitions were made in North America in 2002: in July, the merger of
our U.S. ice cream business with Dreyers; and in August, a USD 2.6 billion
acquisition of Chef America Inc., a leading frozen food product business.

2003
Mvenpick

We acquired Mvenpick Ice Cream, enhancing our position as a market leader in the
super premium category.

2005
Peter Brabeck
PETER BRABECK-LETMATHE: (left) visits a water facility in Kenya
Our Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe recognised that the eating habits of the
worlds population were changing and we began our own transformation. We began
to move away from being a processor of agricultural commodities towards
becoming a producer of food with added benefits and ultimately a provider of a
wide range of products and services in the areas of nutrition, health and wellness.

2006

We acquired Jenny Craig and Uncle Toby's

With the help of Harvards Michael Porter and Mark Kramer, we articulated for the
first time the concept of Creating Shared Value. Creating Shared Value expresses
our conviction that we can only be successful over the long term if we create value,
not just for our shareholders, but also for society.

2007

Gerber logo
We acquired Novartis Medical Nutrition, Gerber and Henniez.

2009
We held the first Creating Shared Value Forum in New York, with leading experts in
the areas of nutrition, water and rural development coming together to discuss
serious global challenges facing us in these three areas and the role of business in

helping to solve them. The Creating Shared Value Forum has been held on an
annual basis since then.

2010
We sold our remaining Alcon shares to Novartis and acquired Kraft Foods frozen
pizza business.
We faced a challenge from Greenpeace who wanted to be reassured about our
commitment to sustainable Palm Oil. It was the first time we saw social media being
used in a substantial way to challenge us and ask questions. We didnt get the
handling of our response to the campaign itself quite right in social media, but on
the issue at its heart palm oil - we took steps to both strengthen our position and
to explain it more clearly.

Cocoa Plan Logo

We launched the Nestl Cocoa Plan which supplies high quality, disease-resistant
plantlets to farmers helping them rejuvenate their farms and increase productivity.
The Nescaf Plan was also launched to address responsible farming, sourcing and
consumption across our coffee supply chain.

Nestl Health Science

We announced the creation of Nestl Health Science and the Nestl Institute of
Health Sciences, innovative ventures aimed at the prevention and eventually
treatment of chronic medical conditions with science-based personalised nutrition
solutions.

2011
We voluntarily submitted our policies and procedures to the FTSE4Good Policy
Committee for independent review and became the first infant formula
manufacturer to be included in the FTSE4Good Index. This is the London Stock
Exchangess responsible investment index and the only index that evaluates

companies on their responsible marketing of breast-milk substitutes, alongside

human rights and supply chain criteria.

Yinlu
China was at the forefront, as we announced partnerships with the Chinese food
companies Yinlu, a manufacturer of ready-to-drink peanut milk and canned rice
porridge and with Hsu Fu Chi, a confectionery and snacks manufacturer.

We became the first food company to partner with the Fair Labor Association. This
partnership will help us investigate if children are working in cocoa farms that
supply our factories and, where we find problems, to solve them.

Nestl Health Science S.A acquired Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a US-based

company specialised in diagnostics and in-licensed specialty pharmaceuticals in
gastroenterology and oncology. It also acquired a minority stake in Vital Foods, a
New Zealand based company that specialises in the development of kiwifruit- based
solutions for gastrointestinal conditions.

2012
We acquired Wyeth Nutrition (Pfizer Nutrition) in a strategic move to enhance our
position in global infant nutrition.

2013
Nestl Health Science acquired Pamlab, a US-based company with an innovative
portfolio of medical food products for use under medical supervision in the
nutritional management of patients with mild cognitive impairment, depression and
diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
We divested Jenny Craig businesses in North America and Oceania to North Castle
Partners.

All our news can be found in the News archive section.