Our MENA History

Nestlé in the Middle East and North Africa

Nestlé’s heritage in the Middle East and North Africa goes back over 100 years with the sale of the first Infant Cereals in Egypt. Today, Nestlé operates 24 Food & Beverage factories across the 19 countries of the MENA region; and provides direct employment to more than 10,000 people who are all committed to Nestlé’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come. Nestlé MENA also provides indirect employment across the region to several thousand more.

The Nestlé portfolio in the region currently exceeds 60 innovative product brands in a wide range of categories: Dairy, Infant Nutrition, Coffee and Creamers, Confectionery, Bottled Water, Breakfast Cereals, Culinary products, Health Science, and Pet Care, among others. Nestlé Nido, Nestlé Cerelac, Nestlé NAN, S-26, Progress, Nescafé, Nespresso, Bonjorno Café, Coffee-mate, KitKat, Maggi, Nestlé Fitness, Nestlé Pure Life, Optifast, and Purina Friskies are just some of the brands available in the Middle East and North Africa.

1900

1934

1946

1955

1957

1992

1995

1996

1997

1999

2001

2003

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2005

2010

2011

2017

2019

2020

2022

2024

1900

The sale of the first Infant Cereals in Egypt.

1934

First Nestlé operation set up in Lebanon, importing products to the Middle East from Vevey, Switzerland

1946

Agency created in Beirut for Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Iraq

1955

First import operation setup in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

1957

SEPN Syria legally established

1992

Establishment of Nestlé Food and beverage factory in El Jadida, Morocco, which manufactures fortified full cream milk powder, growing up milk, soluble coffee, and coffee mixes.

1995

Nestlé Jordan Trading Co. created

1996

Nestlé’s food services distribution was established in 1996 in the UAE, and in 2006 the company expanded its operation to Dubai & Northern Emirates and later to Abu Dhabi in 2012

1996

Nestlé Kuwait General Trading Co. created

1997

Nestlé Middle East FZE formed, consolidating operations in the GCC and Levant

1997

Nestlé became the first Food and Beverages multinational company to establish full operations in Palestine with the creation of Nestlé Trading P.L.C. with main office in Bethlehem and additional facilities in Nablus and Ramallah.

1999

Nestlé acquired the lebanese premium water brand Sohat

2001

Nestlé resumed business operations in Iraq

2003

CERELAC production started at Nestlé Iran PJSCo

2003

Nestlé Oman Trading Co. created

2004

Nestlé Bahrain Trading Co. created

2005

Nestlé Qatar Trading LLC created

2010

Openining of Nestlé Dubai Manufacturing facility in Dubai, producing Confectionary and dairy

2011

Nestlé was the first corporation to establish direct sales and distribution operations in Saudi Arabia in 2011 with the creation of Nestlé Saudi Arabia LLC

2017

Inuaguration of the Nestlé Middle East Manufacturing "Al-Maha" Factory in Dubai South which produces coffee and culinary products

2019

Nestlé inaugurates new Bonjorno coffee factory in Egypt, following the acquisition of Caravan Marketing Company SAE ("CMC"), an Egyptian instant coffee company and owner of the Bonjorno brand, in January 2017.

2020

Middle East and North Africa countries were merged into one Nestle market (Nestle Middle East and North Africa) that oversees the operations of 19 countries in the region

2022

Nestlé announced the Investment of SAR 7 billion in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the coming ten years

2024

Nestlé Signs Agreement with MODON to Establish Its First Food Factory in Saudi Arabia