After 1945, Nestlé continued to prosper, merging with Alimentana S.A.

, a
company that manufactured soups and seasonings, in 1947. In the coming years,

Nestlé acquired Cross & Blackwell, Findus frozen foods, and Libby’s fruit
juices. Nescafé instant coffee sales quadrupled from 1960 to 1974, and the new
technology of freeze drying allowed the company to create a new kind of instant
coffee, which they named Taster’s Choice.

Expanding its product line outside of the food market, Nestlé became a major
stockholder in L’Oréal cosmetics in 1974. Soon after, the company suffered
with increasing oil prices and the slowing growth in industrialized countries.
Foreign exchange rates decreased, in turn reducing the value of the sterling
pound, dollar and franc. Prices of coffee beans and cocoa rose radically,
presenting further problems for Nestlé. The company decided to venture into the
pharmaceutical industry by acquiring Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

By the 1980s, in one of the largest takeovers at that time, Nestlé bought
Carnation for $3 billion. International trade barriers diminished in the 1990s,
opening trade with Eastern parts of Europe and China. In the 1990s, Nestlé
acquired San Pellegrino, and Spillers Petfoods of the UK. With the acquisition
of Ralston Purina in 2002, the Nestlé owned pet care businesses joined to form
the industry leader Nestlé Purina PetCare