Nestlé's relationship with India dates back to 1912 when it began trading as The Nestlé Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company (Export) Limited, importing and selling finished products in the Indian market
Nestlé set up its first factory in 1961 at Moga, Punjab, where the government wanted Nestlé to develop the milk economy
Nestlé's history began in 1866, with the foundation of the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. By 1905, Nestle and Anglo-Swiss had more than 20 factories and were selling in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia
The Maggi brand originated in Switzerland. It was founded in 1884 when Swiss entrepreneur Julius Maggi had a vision of making good-tasting and nutritious food accessible to busy, working families
This first Maggi product was followed two years later with the invention of ready-to-use soups and liquid seasoning. Nestlé acquired the Maggi brand in 1947
The Maggi crisis of 2015, the nadir in Nestlé’s 110 years in India, was a turning point in its product strategy. Maggi was banned in India after hazardous lead levels and MSG was found in the product. Not only consumers’ trust, but Nestlé’s business was also at stake.
It particularly hurt as the category used to contribute 30 per cent to its top line and yielded steady volume growth for years, even as offtake in other categories dwindled
To hedge against such risks, the company adopted a carpet-bombing strategy to expand its portfolio. Following Maggi’s market comeback in late 2015, Nestlé spent the next six years launching around 100 new products across segments, nearly 25 under the Maggi brand
Nestlé India manufactures products under internationally famous brand names such as Nescafé, Maggi, Milkybar, Kit Kat, Bar One, Milkmaid and Nestea and in recent years the company has also introduced products of daily consumption and use such as Nestlé Milk, Nestlé Slim Milk, Nestlé Dahi and Nestlé Jeera Raita
Shares of Nestle India have delivered 324% return in the last 10 years. The stock ended 0.3% higher at Rs 19,698.15 on BSE. Market cap of the firm rose to Rs 1,89,921.12 crore