A Cup of Coffee, Enriched by Lifestyle

New York Times, February 19, 2009 — The current recession may be most serious since the 1930s, but these are boom times at Nespresso — the seemingly omnipresent brand of coffee and coffee makers owned by the Swiss food giant Nestlé.

Though it represents about 5 percent of overall Nestlé sales of 110 billion francs, Nespresso is now the fastest growing among the most important brands at a company that owns household names like Perrier water, Maggi sauce, Felix cat food and, of course, Nestlé chocolate.

Nestlé Sales Buoyed by Price Increases†

Wall Street Journal, October 24, 2008 — The world's largest food company, Nestlé SA, raised its revenue outlook for the year as its strategy of increasing product prices continues to pay off.

By adding features and promoting its brands, Nestlé has been able to persuade consumers to pay more for its products. Following that strategy, it is introducing a new line of baby food, NaturNes, that boasts that it cooks the ingredients separately, an appeal to parents worried about sterilization.

"People go for value. It is not always a question of price," Chief Executive Paul Bulcke said in an interview.