Nestlé logo 1868 (left) and 1938 (right). Henri Nestlé used his family's crest (Nestlé = little nest in German) as inspiration for the brand; later, lettering and logo were combined to become the unifying distinguishing mark for different Nestlé products.
Henri Nestlé (Frankfurt, Aug. 10, 1814 - Montreux, July 7, 1890), confectioner, inventor of the "Farine Lactée Nestlé" and founder of the Nestlé company
Name: "Farine Lactée Nestlé"
Category: Food
Subcategory: Baby food
Inventor: Henri Nestlé
Invented: 1867 - Vevey, Switzerland
Producer: "Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company" (founded by Charles Page and George Page in 1866 - Cham, Switzerland), merged in 1905 with "Société Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé" (founded by Henri Nestlé on March 8, 1875 - Vevey, Switzerland, under new ownership) to become "Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company".
Production start: 1867 - Vevey, Switzerland
Features: Farine Lactée Nestlé was a mixture of cow's milk, wheat flour and sugar, for consumption by infants who could not be breastfed. The German-Swiss pharmacist Henri Nestlé invented this formula to combat the raging infant mortality prevalent at the time, in close cooperation with his friend Jean Balthasar Schnetzler, a Swiss naturalist. His model was Justus von Liebig, a German scientist who at that time developed a soluble food for babies: «Liebig first kindled the flame of truth about human nutrition. He also drew up the requirements for his infant paste. It is an excellent product but far too difficult to prepare, requiring as it does half an hour of complicated cookery. Furthermore, the mother had to obtain the finest quality flour, malt, milk, and potash, which is certainly no small task. (...) My product is prepared entirely on Liebig's principles, only I reach the same goal by other means» (Henri Nestlé, 1868). Ready to use, Farine Lactée Nestlé needed only to be boiled prior to feeding; thus, it soon proved to be a viable substitute for breast milk for infants who were unable to be breastfed.
Nestlé's name appeared in advertisements and on labels in association with the name of the product: "Farine Lactée Nestlé" in French, "Nestlé's (Milk) Food" (USA and Australia), "Nestlé's Bread and Milk Flour" (Britain), "Harina Lacteada Nestlé" (Spain), "Nestlé's Kindermehl" (Germany).
Interesting facts: In 1866 the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company was established in Cham, Switzerland, by the American brothers George and Charles Page, to market their "Milkmaid" condensed milk as a safe, long-lasting alternative to fresh milk. In 1867 Henri Nestlé developed his "Farine Lactée", and soon began marketing it as baby food for consumption by infants who cannot be breastfed. In 1905 this two companies, after years of fierce competition during which both selling rival versions of the other's original products (condensed milk and infant cereal), merge to form the Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss Milk Company. Before this, in 1875, Henri Nestlé retired and sold his company to his business associates, but the company retained his name as Société Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé; by the same year, Nestlé's products were sold everywere from Indonesia to Egypt, and from the US to Argentina. When Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss merged in 1905, the company had more than 20 factories, and started using overseas subsidiaries to establish a sales network that included Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia; over 150 years since its foundation, Nestlé results the largest food company in the world, with a range of products including baby food, medical food, bottled water, breakfast cereals, coffee and tea, confectionery, dairy products, ice cream, frozen food, pet foods, snacks...
Quote (Henri Nestlé, 1878): «My invention is not a new discovery but a correct and rational application of substances long known to be the best for the feeding of children. The chief ingredients are quality milk, bread and sugar».
Nestlé newspaper advertisement (Evening star, Washington, D.C., March 25, 1872). «MOTHERS, SAVE YOUR INFANTS. NESTLE'S LACTEOUS FARINA, THE MOTHER'S MILK SUBSTITUTE. Extensively used and recommended by the most eminent physicians. Sold by Druggist and Fine Grocers. B.W. REED & SONS, Agents for the South, 1214 F street northwest, Washington, D.C. Send for memorial on the Nutrition of Infants, by Henri Nestlé, Chemist. Furnished gratis. m20 12t».
Nestlé newspaper advertisement (Chicago daily tribune, Chicago, Ill., July 13, 1880). «NESTLE'S MILK FOOD. Manufactured solely by Henry Nestlé, Vevey, Switzerland. Contains only milk, wheaten bread-crust, and sugar, and requires only water to prepare it for use. Recommended by all family physicians as a certain preventive of cholera infantum and summer complaints. Pamphlets with full particulars sent to any address. Kept by druggist and grocers. Thomas Lemming & Co., Montreal, Canada».
Nestlé newspaper advertisements (Boletín mercantil de Puerto Rico, San Juan, P.R.; top: January 25, 1882 / bottom: March 4, 1888)
Nestlé factory in Vevey, Switzerland (ca. 1890)
Nestlé milk arrival in Cham, Switzerland (ca. 1890)
Farine Lactée Nestlé, early tins (German packaging, left ca. 1875, right ca. 1890)
Nestlé advertisement (1891): «The Struggle with Cholera Infantum»
Nestlé advertising (1893)
Nestlé advertising (1897, art by Alphonse Mucha)
Nestlé advertisement (Illustrirte Zeitung Leipzig und Berlin, August 11, 1898)
Nestlé advertisement (Paris-Noël, December 1900): «Farine Lactée Nestlé, 30 ans de succès»
Nestlé celebrates 150 years (1866-2016) with a series of events around the world, and inaugurating its "Nest" (June 2, 2016), an interactive Museum in Vevey, the Swiss city where the first factory was built.
