The instant-coffee brand launched by Nestlé in 1938 was Nescafé.
Nestlé introduced Nescafé in Switzerland on April 1, 1938. The name combines “Nestlé” and “café,” and the product was developed as a practical way to preserve and use surplus coffee beans, particularly amid Brazil’s coffee overproduction after the 1929 Wall Street Crash.
Food scientist Max Morgenthaler led the development work. The early product was made by brewing ground coffee and removing the water, producing a soluble powder that could be prepared quickly with hot water. This was a major improvement over earlier attempts at instant coffee, which often lost too much flavor or aroma.
Nescafé became especially important during the Second World War, when instant coffee was included in military rations and became familiar to consumers in several countries. A later milestone was Nescafé Gold, introduced in Europe in 1965 as a freeze-dried coffee. The brand is still sold worldwide, although Nestlé has used different names and product lines in some markets.