Senior Swiss official lauds Nestlé Vietnam achievements

Visiting Nestlé Vietnam’s Tri An Factory in Dong Nai Province as part of his recent official visit to Vietnam, Guy Parmelin, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, commented on how Nestlé has become a prime example of a flagship Swiss company with a truly global commitment.

Guy Parmelin, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research in his visit to Nestlé Vietnam.

Incorporated in Vietnam in 1995, Nestlé Vietnam Ltd. has invested around $600 million and has 2,300 employees. The company’s leading brands include Milo, Nan, Nescafé, Maggi and KitKat. To date, Nestlé Vietnam operates four factories and two distribution centers and continues to expand steadily.

Nestlé is among the biggest buyers of coffee in Vietnam, purchasing about 25 percent of total output of the country, which is the second biggest coffee producer in the world and the biggest in robusta. Every year, the company injects more than $600 million into the economy through coffee purchases.

"The Nestlé brand is intrinsically linked to some of Switzerland’s core values," said Ganesan Ampalavanar, managing director of Nestlé Vietnam.

Ganesan Ampalavanar, CEO of Nestlé Vietnam introduced the firm's contribution to Vietnam.

"Among these is an uncompromising commitment to the highest possible quality standards, great efforts for continuous improvement and incorporation of the latest technologies, with the purpose of ensuring mutual long-term success through contributing to society; we call this Creating Shared Value."

"Switzerland has been Vietnam's economic development partner for over 25 years and Nestlé has been actively working to contribute to this cooperation through the promotion of sustainable economic growth," the firm stated in a release.

"Nestlé’s initiatives such as the Nescafé Plan and other Creating Shared Value initiatives are good examples of bringing the Swiss government’s vision to life."

Since its inception in 2011, the Nescafé Plan has been hailed as one the most successful partnerships of a commercial business with agriculture and farmers by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Ian Johnson, factory manager of Nestlé Vietnam, introduced Nestlé Plan.

Over nearly nine years, Nestlé Vietnam has distributed around 36 million high yielding plantlets and and trained 230,000 farmers. This has helped farmers reduce up to 40 percent of water usage as well as 20 percent reduction of pesticide, agrochemical and fertilizer application.

As a result,the Nescafé Plan has helped to increase farmers’ income by 30 percent and improved resilience through sustainable and better farming practices, the company stated.

The Vietnamese government has recognized Nestlé Vietnam’s contribution to the nation’s socio-economic development with various acknowledgements from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Labour, the Vietnam Charmber of Commerce and Industry and other agencies.

During the three-day visit to Vietnam, Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin held talks with the Vietnamese government on free trade agreements. He also visited a number of economic development cooperation projects.