Our R&D organization

Nestlé’s Research & Development organization is the largest in the food and beverage industry, with 4 100 employees working at 23 locations worldwide. This is how we’re set up.

Fundamental research

Nestlé Research provides the scientific foundation for our innovations, from food safety, basic nutrition and health research to applied research for product development and packaging. Our sites in Vers-chez-les-Blanc and EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne, Switzerland, house four research institutes: Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Nestlé Institute of Food Safety & Analytical Science, Nestlé Institute of Material Sciences and Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences.

We've announced the creation of a fifth institute, Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences, which will focus on the areas of plant science, dairy livestock and agricultural systems science. It also encompasses our plant science research hub in Tours, France, as well as our network of experimental farms.

Our Clinical Development Unit, which centralizes the management of trials and fundamental research projects, is also located within Nestlé Research in Lausanne.

This central research entity in Switzerland is supported by our Singapore Research Hub, which focuses on maternal and infant nutrition, and Nestlé Purina, which carries out pet care research in St.Louis, Missouri, United States.

Category-focused product development

Nestlé Product Technology Centers (NPTCs) translate our scientific discoveries to develop products and technologies for specific categories such as beverages, pet care, culinary, dairy, confectionery and infant nutrition. Our regional innovation centers in China, India, Africa, Southeast Asia, and now, Latin America, work to develop products for local needs, as part of their local innovation ecosystems.

Within R&D we can draw on 30 plus years of inhouse expertise in beverage systems. Our System Technology Center in Orbe, Switzerland, offers expertise in machines, packaging and products for in and out of home. Recent systems developed here include Nescafé Dolce Gusto Neo, which uses proprietary technology and home compostable pods to create the brand’s best coffee quality and most sustainable system to date, and Nespresso Vertuo POP, our smartest, smallest, most optimized and accessible Vertuo machine ever. Roastelier, developed together with Nestlé Professional, is our compact coffee-roasting solution.