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Larger Than (one) Life

We usually celebrate anniversaries for good reason—our 10 years of marriage, a 20th birthday, or 30 years in business. But when I stumbled upon this anniversary, I was truly shocked: Nestlé celebrated its 125th year in the Greek market.

125 years. That’s a number larger than life—certainly larger than a human lifespan. It means no one alive today can tell firsthand the story of how it all began: who made it happen, what they endured, and how they succeeded. This milestone moves beyond business, entering the world of myth and tradition.

Consider this: if today’s Nestlé CEO is 50 years old, not only was he not alive 125 years ago, but neither were his father nor his grandfather. It’s a moment that belongs in history, not just commerce.

Let’s put things into perspective. In 1899, Greece was an entirely different country from what we know today. The population stood at just 2.7 million people. Key regions like Epirus, Macedonia, Crete, and the Dodecanese were yet to join the nation, only becoming part of Greece later through the Balkan Wars and various treaties. Athens, the capital, was a modest city with 125,000 residents.

At the time, Prime Minister Georgios Theotokis governed under King George I. The Greek economy was still healing from the bankruptcy of 1893, which led to foreign financial controls. Against this challenging situation, Nestlé entered the market with its infant nutrition formula tins, sold for 0.5 to 1 drachma each—equivalent to roughly 6 euros today when adjusted for inflation.

The drachma was tied to the gold standard from 1876 to 1910, meaning its value was tied to gold. This allowed Nestlé to convert Greek drachmas into Swiss francs or gold for its financial records. However, the details of Nestlé’s initial Greek operations remain covered in mystery. It is not known who was the company’s CEO in Greece at the time nor who was the Greek importer responsible for distributing “Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co.” products, the official name of Nestle back then.

Despite the economic hardships, Greece in 1899 was a developing agrarian society where multinational companies like Siemens, CFCT (a French communications company), Lever Brothers, Singer Sewing Co., and Bank D’Orient began introducing their products. Meanwhile, emerging Greek enterprises such as Papastratos, FIX Beer, Loumidis Coffee, and Ionian Bank began shaping the local market.

For perspective, while Nestlé was marking its first steps in Greece, New York City launched its subway in 1904—120 years before Thessaloniki’s metro would finally see the light of day. 

And if we stretch the timeline further, the New York Stock Exchange dates back to 1792, only three years after the French Revolution and 29 years before the Greek War of Independence in 1821.

Nestlé itself was founded even earlier, in 1866, in Vevey, Switzerland. Its 125-year journey in Greece is a testament not just to its resilience but to its ability to weave itself into the fabric of a nation’s history, evolving alongside it through the first and second World war, numerous treaties, and modern revolutions.