When you think of Nestlé, you might think of a powdered milkshake (known as Nesquik, of course). Or you might think of the company’s popular coffee brand Nescafé. Or maybe you’re thinking of “taking a break” with KitKat, one of Nestlé’s favorite chocolate bars. Today, it’s hard to go to a grocery store without seeing one of Nestlé’s products But it all started with a simple product: condensed milk. Here, we take a closer look at Nestlé’s history, but also its future. In a world where consumers are beginning to recognize the harmful effects of animal agriculture, and subsequently changing the way they shop, is Nestlé starting to focus more on growing vegan? Let’s investigate.
What is Nestle?
Nestlé, headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland (not far from Lake Geneva), is the world’s largest food and beverage company. At the moment, it is predicted to be worth more than a staggering $305 billion dollars. But, like most corporations, it didn’t start out that way.
By the mid-1800s, condensed milk began to become popular. It lasts much longer than fresh alternatives, meaning it’s a safer, more cost-effective way to consume milk. As a growing industry, the condensed milk market began to attract the attention of budding entrepreneurs. And in 1866, two American brothers, Charles and George Page, set up a concentrated milk factory in Switzerland, where large quantities of fresh milk were available.
Around the same time, in Vevey, a man named Henri Nestlé, who was originally from Germany, started making baby formula, which was also milk-based. At first, Nestlé and Paige were rivals, as they both eventually expanded into each other’s industries. But in the early 1900s, they decided to call it quits and merged to become Nestlé and the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. By 1977, the company had diversified significantly and shortened its name to just Nestlé.
Nestle’s portfolio brands
In the early 20th century, another key focus of Henri Nestlé was chocolate, which over the decades led the company to develop an extensive portfolio of milk chocolate brands. In 2018, however, it sold most of its confectionery business to Ferrero for $2.8 billion. But it still owns some candy and dessert-focused companies, including Toll House and KitKat, one of its most popular, internationally-loved chocolate brands. Today, its portfolio still includes infant formula, as well as bottled water, nutrition brands, coffee and pet care. In fact, right now, it owns more than 2,000 brands and sells its products in almost every country in the world, times 10.
Nestlé’s Vegetarian Growth and Partnership
Over the years, Nestlé has grown tremendously, but it has also endured many controversies. To be clear, most do not associate ethics with multinationals. The scandals include deliberately marketing its infant formula to poor communities in low-income countries; communities deprived of safe drinking water; Child labor in the chocolate industry; and selling contaminated cookie dough.
For this and more, many people choose not to engage with Nestlé’s business. But the fact remains that it is the largest food and beverage company in the world, and so its influence is undeniably significant. And lately, that influence seems to be used to encourage more people to eat plant-based products.
In 2017, it acquired vegan food brand Sweet Earth and in the same year, it bought vegetarian meat specialist Garden Gourmet. And in 2021, it announced the development of its own pea milk brand called Wunda. At the time, Cédric Boehm, who is now CEO of Nestlé Austria, spoke of the “quiet food revolution” that was “changing the way people eat.”
“People are asking for better plant-based drinks that are nutritious, versatile and taste great,” he said. “We have the plant-based expertise and dairy experience to be at the forefront of this change.”
Now, Nestlé has a section on its website dedicated to its plant-based portfolio, where it claims its “innovation never stops” in this category. It cites, for example, Garden Gourmets Vuna, which launched in 2020 after a “scientific breakthrough” at one of its research facilities in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The company also has a partnership with animal-free dairy brand Perfect Day, and in December 2022, it hints that a line of new vegan Toll House chocolate chips could be coming soon. “As we continue to strive to innovate in the plant-based category, baking is an area we are keen to explore,” the company revealed.
Vegan brand at Nestlé
Here, we break down Nestlé’s growing range of vegan brands and products—from plant-based chicken and Sweet Earth’s bacon to new vegan KitKat options.
sweet world
1 sweet world
Before it was acquired by Nestlé in 2017, Sweet Earth was founded in California in 2011. The brand has won several awards over the years for its versatile, delicious range of products (including a VegNews’ 2018 Best of Show Award), which includes frozen pizzas, pre-made burritos and its Hickory & Sage Flavored Benevolent Bacon. As its new Korean BBQ style chicken bowl.
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missing
2 missing
Nestlé launched its own vegan milk brand in response to growing consumer demand for dairy-free products. (By 2029, market research predicts the plant-based milk market will hit more than $42 billion.) With oat, almond, soy, and coconut options around, Nestlé decided to enter the market by making its own peas. Milk Currently, Wunda comes in four varieties: Original, Unsweetened, Chocolate and Barista.
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what a blessing
3 what a blessing
In December 2022, Nestlé announced the launch of a new brand called Cowabunga, which it plans to begin trials in San Francisco grocery stores. The brand’s products, two animal-free dairy beverages (one plain and one chocolate), are made using Perfect Day’s animal-free dairy protein, which was created using precision fermentation.
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Vegan Nestle product alternatives
Garden Gourmet
1 Garden Gourmet’s vegan range
Vegetarian brand Garden Gourmet offers a wide range of completely vegan products. In addition to roasts, there are vegan schnitzels, mini filets and Mexican-style chicken strips, as well as mince, sausages and burgers. In 2021, it launched a liquid vegan egg alternative, called vEGGie. And, at the end of 2022, it announced a new vegan foie gras product, called Voie Gras.
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garden of life
2 Garden of Life Vegan Range
Organic supplement brand Garden of Life is known for making its formulas with real whole foods, not artificial ingredients. A significant number of its offerings are vegan, including its raw organic protein, which is vanilla flavored. It also sells Alicia Silverstone’s vegan vitamin range, MyKind Organics.
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Kit Kat
3 Vegan KitKat
In 2022, after a successful trial period, Nestlé launched its vegan KitKat V bars in 15 European countries. According to the brand, the chocolate is made with cocoa sourced through its Sustainable Cocoa Plan, which has sustainability certification from the Rainforest Alliance. “This is one of the biggest launches of a vegan option by a major confectionery brand and shows our confidence in this trend,” Nestlé’s head of confectionery in Europe, Corinne Gabler, said at the launch.
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milo
4 Vegan Milo
In Australia, Nestle’s Milo, a chocolate-flavored malted powder, is a big deal. It is similar to hot chocolate powder in the sense that it can be mixed with milk or hot water. The original recipe contained milk solids, but in 2020, it launched a dairy-free version of the much-loved drink called Milo Plant Based Energy.
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Carnation
5 Carnation Vegan Condensed Milk
Several decades after its launch in the 1980s, Nestlé was still focused on the condensed milk market, and so bought Carnation for $3 billion. And in 2020, after a year and a half of development, the multinational brand introduced its first vegan condensed milk offering, made with a blend of oats and rice flour.
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Nescafé
6 Nescafé Non-Dairy Lattes
Nescafé, Nestlé’s popular coffee brand, has been around for decades, as it was first launched in the 1930s. But the pace of development did not slow down during that time. In 2019, it launched its first range of plant-based lattes in its Nescafé Gold offering, including almond, oat and coconut flavours.
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Nestlé
7 Vegan cereal
In addition to plant-based coffee and milk, Nestlé offers another morning staple: vegan cereal. While many cereals contain animal products such as cow’s milk or non-vegan vitamin D, most are completely vegetarian, including Nestlé’s Go Free Rice Pops, Shreddies and Shredded Wheat Original.
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Coffee companion
8 Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss Oat Milk Creamer
Most of Nestlé’s Creamer brand Coffee-Mate range is lactose-free, but is not vegetarian due to the presence of small amounts of milk protein. However, in 2017, Nestlé announced that it was launching four plant-based natural happiness creamers under the Coffee-Mate brand: Vanilla Almond, Caramel Almond, Hazelnut Almond and Sweet Creme Coconut. Since then, it has added a vanilla oat flavor.
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Charlotte is a writer and editor based in sunny Southsea on the south coast of England.