Short answers, pulled from the story.
Nestlé traces its origins to 1866 when brothers George Ham Page and Charles Page established the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company in Cham, Switzerland. Henri Nestlé developed a milk-based baby food product two years later in Vevey, Switzerland before the firms merged in 1905.
Philipp Navratil serves as the new chief executive officer after Laurent Freixe was dismissed in September 2025 following an investigation into his undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct report. The board initially launched an investigation that proved inconclusive before launching a second probe which concluded the relationship breached code of business conduct.
Multiple reports documented widespread use of child labor throughout West African plantations where cocoa suppliers operate alongside accusations regarding slave labor and child trafficking. Illegal water-pumping occurred from drought-stricken Native American reservations according to reports while environmental researchers criticized the company for overstating progress reducing methane emissions from livestock and fertilizer.
Consolidated sales reached CHF 91.61 billion in 2014 with net profit at CHF 14.46 billion while employee count stood around 277,000 operating across 185 countries with 337 factories. Market capitalization reached roughly 231 billion Swiss francs as of May 2015 representing more than US$247 billion.
Nestlé returned to its roots by purchasing US baby-food manufacturer Gerber in April 2007 after acquiring Ralston Purina and Dreyer's ice cream in the early 2000s. The company also bought Greek firm Delta Ice Cream for €240 million in December 2005 before gaining full ownership of Dreyer's in January 2006.