The Company itself is based on the scientific enquiries of its founder Henri Nestlé, a trained pharmacist. In 1867 he developed Farine Lactée (infant cereal) which was the first infant food of its kind to supply basic nutrients to newborn babies, who could not be breast fed. Henri Nestlé developed this solution in order to help save the life of his neighbour’s child.
Since 1867 the Company has not strayed from its roots in innovation and nutrition, to bring benefits to the consumer.
1867 - Infant formula – Farine LactéeKey consumer benefits: Nutrition and Health (growth and development)
In 1867 Henri Nestlé, a pharmacist based in Vevey, Switzerland, developed a food for babies who were unable to breastfeed. He began experimenting with various combinations of cow's milk, wheat flour and sugar in an attempt to develop an alternative source of infant nutrition. His first success was a new formula that he gave to a neighbour’s premature child who could not breastfeed. People quickly recognised the value of the new product and soon Nestlé’s Farine Lactée was being sold in much of Europe. Take a look at the advances in infant formula today 
1904 MILO – Fortified beverageKey consumer benefits: Nutrition and Health (growth and development)
Milo was first documented in 1904 as Nestlé’s Milk Food. It was a fortified tonic food beverage, made of wheat flour and enriched with several vitamins and minerals. The product took advantage of a new technology that could transform liquid into a powder. The name Milo came from the Greek athlete Milon who famously carried a bullock upon his shoulders. Milo tonic was launched in Australia in the spring of 1934 soon followed by South Africa, South America, the Far and Middle East and Europe. It remains one of Nestlé’s most popular brands. Take a look at Milo today
1935 Aero – Bubbly innovationKey consumer benefits: Taste and Texture
Aero was introduced in the north of England in 1935 by Rowntree as the ‘new chocolate’ and proved so popular that sales were extended throughout the UK by the end of the same year. The original process involved inflating the liquid chocolate in a vacuum box which released air pockets, normally absorbed in the refining process, into the chocolate to form air bubbles. The chocolate would then cool with the famous honeycomb structure. This rather labour intensive method was recently replaced by trapping gas under pressure in the chocolate and then quickly depressurising it. This is the process used today to create the famous chocolate air bubbles. Take a look at Aero today
1935 KitKat – Wafer technologyKey Key consumer benefits: Taste and Texture
KitKat was developed as a four-finger wafer crisp, initially launched in England in September 1935 as 'Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp' and was re-named two years later as KitKat Chocolate Crisp. The innovation at the time was that the wafer still remained crispy even though melted chocolate was layered on top. The results were achieved by researching the perfect wafer recipe combined with the experimenting the correct temperature for wafer baking. Seeking the perfect crisp Nestlé today use the machine, pictured right, to record the sound and crispiness of wafer and breakfast cereals. Take a look at KitKat today
1938 Nescafé - The first drinkable instant coffeeKey consumer benefits: Taste and Convenience
In 1930, Nestlé’s chairman was approached by the Brazilian Coffee Institute to solve a problem. Brazil had a huge coffee surplus and was looking for a way to both store coffee and to enable consumers to enjoy the beverage by simply adding water. Nestlé already had a great deal of experience with hydrated products, and this expertise was put to use to create the first Nescafé. After seven years of research at the Nestlé Research Centre laboratory in Switzerland, scientist Max Mortgenthaler finally achieved the desired results by spray drying the liquid coffee into a dry soluble product. Thus on 1 April 1938, Nescafé, the project name given by the R&D team, was launched. The science research and innovation in Nescafé has never stopped; in 1965 Nescafé introducing freeze-dried soluble coffee with the launch of Gold Blend, in 1986 Nescafé Original decaf was launched and in 2007 Nescafé Protect, with three times the antioxidants of green tea, was launched in Asia. Take a look at Nescafé today
Taste and Convenience
Although it was not until 1986 that the first Nespresso machine was sold, research to make perfect espresso at home began in 1975. Researchers at the Nestlé Product Technology Centre in Orbe, Switzerland, developed a new concept of coffee capsules combined with an extraction system that allowed the right combination of air, water and fresh roast and ground coffee to create the classic espresso, complete with the light crema that sits on top. The first capsules had thick, aluminium walls with a built-in coffee filter. To develop an efficient seal that could support the high water pressure needed for a top quality espresso took R&D three years to develop. Today’s capsules have thin aluminium walls and the filter is built into the machine, meaning less waste. Take a look at Nespresso today