Who is credited with inventing milk chocolate in 1875?

Daniel Peter is credited with inventing milk chocolate in 1875.

Peter was a Swiss chocolatier from Vevey who developed a way to combine chocolate with powdered milk. He worked with Henri Nestlé, whose infant-food company had developed a successful process for making milk powder. Powdered milk was more practical than liquid milk because it reduced the mixture’s water content and helped prevent spoilage.

Peter’s milk chocolate became commercially important after he joined forces with Nestlé. In 1879, their businesses combined to form the Société Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, later part of the Nestlé company. The result helped establish milk chocolate as a major style in Europe.

A common mix-up is to credit Henri Nestlé alone. Nestlé supplied the milk-powder technology, but Daniel Peter developed the milk-chocolate confection. Modern milk chocolate recipes vary, but they generally contain cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, and milk ingredients.