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Nespresso: How One Man’s Passion Created a Coffee Icon

 

 

How would you spend a European vacation – hiking? Lounging by the pool? Taking in historical sights?

 

 

In 1975 Nestlé worker Eric Favre spent his vacation exploring the espresso culture of Italy, and returned from his trip feeling so inspired he created Nespresso – the luxury coffee you can brew at home.

One day Favre was exploring the coffee scene in Rome, when he noticed a crowd of locals lining up outside one particular coffee bar. The coffee was great, so he studied the barista’s techniques and tried to recreate them himself.

Favre threw himself into the project, but his bosses feared it might dent Nescafé sales and nearly halted his work at an early stage. Fortunately, rather than giving up, he kept working on Nespresso in secret and eventually persuaded the company to let him test the product with consumers.

In 1986, eleven years after Favre’s trip to Italy, Nespresso was launched in Japan, Italy and Switzerland.

At first people were hesitant to pay for coffee machines but gradually the quality and exclusivity of the product, sold through the members-only NespressoClub, won over coffee lovers.

Today, with sustainably sourced coffee beans, capsules that are infinitely recyclable, and a wide variety of blends, the brand thrives in more than 60 countries including here in the United States.

Explore Nespresso.