How did Nescafe Change the Way The World Drank Coffee?

Picture credits: Nescafe

The story of Coffee goes a really long way down. The origins of Coffee are thought to date back to 800 A.D. It was discovered in a most unbelievable way. It was discovered by 9th-century goat herders. It was said that they noticed their goats eating the coffee plant and after some time it appeared as if they were dancing. Fascinated and surprised by its results, the goat herders tried the coffee plants themselves and discovered that it made them excited and energized too.

Nescafe was the brand that produced the very first instant coffee. Nestle was the company behind the brand Nescafe. The word Nescafe is actually the mix of two words that are “Nestle” and “café”. And it has been quite successful in capturing a high market share of instant coffee.

The question that now arises is how on earth was the idea of instant coffee conceived?

Where it all Started

The story begins in the year 1929, when Louis Dapples, who was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nestlé at that time, received a very special request from Brazil. (Brazil grows the most coffee in the world and is widely known as one of the biggest coffee hotspots in the world. It is responsible for around a third of all the coffee produced in the world).

Brazil had a very interesting problem and needed Nestle’s help in combating the enormous coffee surplus in the country. It was proposed that Nestle help create a coffee-based product that was quick and easy to make and also reduced the amount of unnecessary waste from the coffee bean harvests.

The initial idea was to manufacture a cube-shaped coffee tablet. That was very simple to use in one's daily life. All you had to do was add hot water to the cube-shaped coffee tablet for an instant brew. However, after a significant amount of research to understand whether their idea was actually practical or not and would even work or not, the initial tablet idea proved to not be a viable option as the iconic coffee flavour just could not be retained. And with this conclusion, this idea was simply ruled out. After this chemist, Max Morgenthaler set on his own journey on the road to discovery and a will to solve this problem.

It took almost seven years of hard work and extreme dedication for Max Mergenthaler and his team members to make coffee powder. After seven years of careful development, this soluble coffee in the form of instant coffee powder was launched in Switzerland under the brand name Nescafe. The new product was an instant hit from the very start of its launch, with the yearly reserves selling out in a mere span of two months. By the year 1940, Nestle had sold its instant coffee powder under the brand name Nescafe in more than thirty countries, spanning all continents. 

Nescafe’s journey:

Nescafe’s journey was not all too smooth, it did face its fair amount of challenges. In the eye of the outbreak of World War II, it was initially difficult for Nescafé to distribute its product. Problems in the distribution process meant losing out on valuable customers. However, by the time the year, 1941 arrived Nescafé managed to turn around this problem by including their instant coffee in the emergency rations of every US soldier. The key point in the brand’s success story was when the war had come to an end in 1945, and Nescafé was added to the care packages for the needy populations across Europe and all of this boosted its demand to new levels.

The brand evolved as time went by. In 1962 the original tin was changed for a more sophisticated glass jar we still see today. The iconic Nescafe Gold was released in Europe in 1965, a delicious product that was loved even by non-coffee drinkers. Even the formula evolved from powder to granules, and in 1967 the classic and iconic red mug was launched that is still seen in the homes of all coffee drinkers.

Conclusion:

Nestle also aimed at developing conscious coffee. It had set its sights on becoming one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly coffee brands in the world. With this in mind, they developed the world’s first Fairtrade-certified Nescafé blend, “The Nescafé Partners Blend”. In 2010, they brought the Nescafe plan into action by purchasing exclusively from local coffee growers and offering them well-informed agricultural advice, the plan continues to improve the lives of those in the coffee industry to this very day.

Written by: Varima Tandon