From Milk To Perfume: The Nestlé Story Quiz

Answer: Switzerland

The company was formed in 1866 by Henri Nestlé at Vevey in Switzerland, where the world headquarters are now based. Henri Nestlé was a pharmacist who wanted to develop a product that could be used by mothers who were unable to breast- feed their children.

It was an immediate success and within five years "Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé" was being used throughout Europe. Nestlé sold his company in 1874 and in 1905 it merged with a rival, the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company.

Answer: A bird feeding chicks in a nest

In the German dialect, Nestlé means "little nest". Henri Nestlé had this made into a coat of arms and it became the company's trademark. For some years Nestlé used the slogan "Expect the best at the sign of the nest". In more recent times it adopted the slogan "Good Food, Good Life".

Answer: False

It is true that Nestlé was heavily involved in baby milk and condensed milk at this time, but it was another Vevey native, Daniel Peter, who came up with the idea of combining milk and cocoa powder to create milk chocolate. His company became the world's largest producer, but ultimately merged with Nestlé, which began producing chocolate in 1904.

Answer: Instant coffee

In the 1930s, there was glut of coffee in Brazil and a lot of research was put into developing 'instant coffee'. In 1938 "Nescafé" was launched and it went on to become one of the world's leading instant coffee brands. WW2 exposed many Americans to Nescafé for the first time, and by 1945, Nestlé sales had risen to $225m a year.

Answer: Crosse & Blackwell

Crosse & Blackwell was a venerable English company that traced its roots to 1706. It was well established in the canned food sector by the time Nestlé took it over. The company produced sauces and chutney, as well as a wide range of canned fruits and vegetables. Nestlé sold C&B in 2002.

Answer: L'Oréal

This was the first diversification outside food for Nestlé and came in 1974. For many years L'Oréal used the advertising slogan "you're worth it".
Nestlé subsequently reduced its holding in the company to a non-majority status.

Answer: Baby formula milk

Steering a neutral course through the controversy, the critics claimed that by promoting infant baby formula in places like Africa, Nestlé was contributing to the suffering and death of many children. In its defence, Nestlé said that mothers' milk was the best for babies, but in places where mother could not feed their babies, perhaps because of their own malnutrition, then an alternative was needed.

Answer: Rowntree Mackintosh

Kit Kat was first produced by Rowntree under that name in 1935, but its origins go back to the 1920s. Rowntree became Rowntree-Mackintosh and that company was then acquired by Nestlé. Kit Kat was licensed to The Hershey Company for production in the USA.

Answer: Ice cream for dogs

"Frosty Paws" for lactose-intolerant dogs was developed in the 1970s by Dr William Tyznik, a professor of animal science at Ohio State University. He initially marketed it as 'Pet79'. Company buy-outs brought the rights to Nestlé.

Answer: A cowboy

Altogether now, let's sing:
"The Milky Bar Kid is strong and tough
And only the best is good enough,
The creamiest milk, the whitest bar,
The goodness that's in Milky Bar..."
The jingle first appeared in 1961
The 'kid' was almost invariably portrayed as a blond, bespectacled boy of about 12 dressed as a cowboy and who was as good and wholesome as the product.
Milky Bar was a sweet, white chocolate.