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Chocolate, coffee, and pet care? Nestle, the world's largest food company, is so large that it doesn't know exactly how many products it makes. Although the Nestle name goes on 8,500 food, beverage, and pharmaceutical brands, different packaging sizes raise the company's estimated product total to 22,000. Though it may be best known in America for its chocolate Nestle Crunch bars and NesQuik powder flavoring, the company makes products in 10 categories: baby foods and cereals, milk and dairy products, breakfast cereals, desserts, snacks and ice creams, chocolate and other confectioneries, prepared foods, beverages, pet care, and pharmaceuticals. Nestle is the worldwide leader in mineral water (Perrier) and coffee (Nescafe, Taster's Choice) sales as well. Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestle feeds the world. A company that grows with the times The Nestle food empire began as a humble attempt to lower infant mortality. Looking for a low-cost, nutritious infant formula for women who could not breast feed their babies, Henri Nestle, who had recently purchased a company that made rum and nut oils, stumbled onto a lactate-laced gold mine in the 1860s. With the creation of Farine Lactee Nestle, an innovative combination of cow's milk, wheat flour, and sugar, the Nestle empire spread throughout Europe. It continued to grow with the purchase of condensed milk, milk chocolate, and powdered soup companies. Nestle continued to benefit from its ability to adapt to the times: a shortage of milk during World War I forced Nestle to grow beyond its milk and chocolate business to become the conglomerate of today. Post-war problems in the European market encouraged Nestle to expand globally into the U.S. market. A question of ethics Although product advancements - like the 1920 introduction of Nescafe instant coffee - came early, most of Nestle's expansion came through acquisitions made during the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, Nestle came under fire for the marketing of infant formula to Third World markets. Activists, claiming that Nestle was convincing women to forgo breast-feeding in favor of the less-healthy infant formula, launched a boycott. Although Nestle worked with the Infant Food Manufacturers, World Health Organization, and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund to improve upon its marketing techniques, activist groups continue to question the contributions of the industry in general. Ever on the rebound Despite the Asian and Russian economic crises, Nestle reported a 2.6 percent increase in profits in 1998 - slightly short of new CEO Peter Brabeck's goal of 4 percent. Company officials said a booming demand in the West for products such as Perrier mineral water and Alcon contact lens solution helped offset the sales decline in those areas. In 1999, Nestle announced plans to sell Findus, a major global frozen food company, and focus on more profitable segments in the market. It also sold the Hills Bros., Chase & Sanborn, and MJB coffee brands to Sara Lee in December 1999. In an effort to strengthen its cereal division, Nestle teamed up with General Mills in 1999 to introduce a NesQuik cereal line in the United States. The company is also working on complete domination of the frozen foods market. With an $80 million investment into its Ortega Mexican foods and Stouffer's Oven Sensations, in 2000 Nestle should emerge the clear leader of the $4.5 billion category. A new world for Nestle is the energy bar market. The acquisition of PowerBar Inc., the inventor of the energy bar, positions Nestle nicely to reign supreme in the field. Nestle has teamed up with Pillsbury's Haagen-Dazs subsidiary to create a new, as-yet unnamed company that will combine Nestle's "frozen novelties" with Haagen-Dazs' U.S. frozen dessert business. Beyond food In non food-related news, Nestle has launched a web site, nestleEZorder.com, to let business customers directly order and track products online. Customers can access over 100 brands and 700 products over the internet. To bolster their environment-friendly image, Nestle also donated 60 acres of river front land in Washington, to protect the salmon habitat. Diversification being key to survival in today's economy, Nestle's incursion into the U.S. nutraceuticals market began in 2000 with the introduction of LC1. The powder is meant to be mixed with food or beverages, and supports the immune system.
As one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, Nestle is a haven for marketing managers. In the U.S., with its operations based in Glendale, California, the company recruits heavily at top West Coast-based schools. The company frequently advertises in trade journals and newspapers such as The Los Angeles Times. In addition, Nestle makes use of selected Internet job posting sites. Because of Nestle's international scope, the company looks for candidates with foreign language proficiency for corporate positions. Nestle is most interested in "those with the know-how, energy, leadership, communication skills, and academic excellence," to take part in its plans for ongoing growth. It wants applicants that can not only fill the position they're hired for, but "who can grow into future leaders." Most of Nestle's hires in "marketing are recruited from colleges or come from other companies or internships." An insider reports that "Nestle has a reputation for attracting and retaining the best qualified people in the industry."
Glendale's where it's at Nestle is a very large, global company, and as such, experiences and expectations will vary by office and region. Nestle's size provides "great opportunity for advancement for those employees who are willing to relocate." Normal hours at Nestle are 8:30 to 5:00, however in some situations there are flex hours. While "Nestle does have sales offices all around the country and some of the sales people even telecommute," the inside scoop in the U.S. is that "all action seems to be in Glendale." (The company also has a major U.S. location in Solon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.) "Most marketing positions will be in that office, as well as finance positions" an insider notes about Glendale. The Glendale office is "very businesslike and professional and yes, they do have a dress code," according to insiders, although the company has business casual Fridays. More specifically, "men must wear coats and ties and women must wear business clothes." As members of the No. 1 food company, employees note: "We are very proud of the products we produce." "No minorities, just people" Nestle employees believe that "race, color, gender, creed or any other category has no bearing on the corporate structure at Nestle," and that "diversity is actually a Nestle trademark." One insider says: "To put it bluntly, Nestle doesn't have minorities - just people." Diversity here refers to both ethnicity and gender, with "a lot of women in high-level marketing positions." A reason for this is that with strengths in the Americas, Europe, Africa, India and East Asia, the sun never sets on Nestle. Nestle is also "very conscious about its image and therefore has very good history in the HR arena." "The culture is good for everyone and I believe we work well together," one contact says of the environment. Cheap coffee, great perks "There are many extra perks such as medical, dental, eye, educational assistance, a wonderful cafeteria at a rate you could not beat, an on-site mail and shipping department, and in-house classes," one contact raves. Employees also enjoy the "constant feedback" that they receive from their superiors. Nestle also offers entry-level employees "generous tuition benefits" to augment its competitive pay scale. As for insurance, "there is some co-pay involved, but you are offered a choice of various plans."
ATTN: Strategic Staffing Services Nestle USA 800 N. Brand Blvd.1 Glendale CA 91023
Infant formula;Confectionary;Ophthalmology products;Mineral water
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