Nestlé opens museums in 150th birthday celebration

Swiss chocolate giant Nestlé is opening two museums in its hometown of Vevey this month in celebration of its 150th birthday.

New museum Nest takes visitors on a journey through the company’s history, while the renovated Alimentarium is a hands-on exhibition and educational space dedicated to food. The Alimentarium will be free to the public during an open house weekend on June 4th-5th, as it reopens after a 19.8 million franc renovation.

Originally opened in 1985 on the lakefront in Vevey, the Alimentarium was the first in the world to explore food and human nutrition. A 9-month renovation scheme has completely redesigned the building, which now sports a new permanent exhibition, a multilingual digital archive and a ‘Food Academy’ where members of the public can take cooking classes.

Meanwhile, the new 50 million franc Nest was officially inaugurated will open to the public on June 15th. Based in the factory where Henry Nestlé invented his famous Farine Lactée baby formula in 1867, Nest takes visitors on an immersive journey through the company’s history and its products.

Split into four themed parts, Nest’s interactive elements include a body scanner where visitors can learn about the impact of certain foods on the body’s organs.

Stefano Stroll, director of the Festival Images Vevey, said that the new museum is “an occasion to better understand” the company. “Although Nestlé stands out here, little is known about this global multinational, which is a mix of tradition and innovation,” Mr Stroll said.