Not many have heard of Daniel Peter, but Nestle is a household name. Who would of thought that two enterprising entrepreneurs many decades ago would have such results in their quest for perfection as evidenced by the love of milk chocolate in today’s world.
Daniel Peter was a Swiss candle manufacturer in Vevey Switzerland until the use of kerosene made candle making a dying business. Had it not been the advent of the oil lamp in the 1860’s we might well live a society today without milk chocolate. AAckk! What an aweful thought!
While searching for a better use of his candle factory, Peter fell in love with a chocolatier’s daughter and married her. Following the example of his brother-in-law, Auguste Cailler, he started to manufacture chocolate in 1867. However, even then chocolate making was competitive.
Daniel wanted something new to differentiate his product from his competitors. He had the idea of including milk into his chocolate, but found it almost impossible to do. Finally after much experimentation he was successful. However, the mixture turned sour in less than a week. He described the situation to a neighbor, Henri Nestle, who was encountering a similar stability problem with his baby food manufacturing process.
By pooling their efforts, the solution was found. Nearly all the water content was extracted from the milk before mixing it with cocoa to make chocolate. Hence, the world’s most popular confection — milk chocolate — was created in 1875 by using Henri Nestle’s “condensed” milk.
Peter refined his recipe over the next decade. His chocolate became an international sensation. Showered with medals at expositions, and embraced by the chocolate-loving public.
Having conquered Europe, Peter was ready to invade the new world. In 1901, a representative of Lamont, Corliss and Company became the company’s first stateside sales representative. By 1907, a Peter’s manufacturing facility was opened in Fulton, New York.
Some years later, Lamont, Corliss and Company purchased the company, which would become Nestle’s Chocolate Company in 1951, proving how very small the world of chocolate truly is.
Since 1907 Nestle Chocolate & Confections has manufactured chocolate in the United States to the highest standard of quality. Peter’s Chocolate, a division of Nestle Food Company, continued the tradition, offering an extensive line of products known for their quality and consistency. It is a fitting tribute to Daniel Peter, the inventor of milk chocolate.
In 2002 the Peter’s brand was purchased by Cargill, Incorporated, which continues the tradition of producing milk chocolate from whole milk crumb in accordance with Daniel Peter’s original method.
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