Nestle to Move Hot Pockets Business to Ohio

Feb 7 2012 --- Nestle Prepared Foods Company, a division of Nestle USA, is relocating its Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets brand frozen sandwich and snacks business team from Englewood, Colorado to its headquarters location in Solon, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland. Frank Higgins, President and CEO of Nestle Prepared Foods, made the announcement this morning from Colorado. "We believe the opportunities for shared learning and continued progress - both for our employees and our business -- are greater with all our teams working together," noted Higgins.

Acquired by Nestle from Chef America in 2002, the Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets brands helped define 'convenient, delicious and affordable' American fare in what is now a $2 billion category of frozen sandwiches and snacks. With Nestle's product development and marketing expertise, the well-known brands have been extended to breakfast, lunch, dinner and anytime snacking. Over 80 varieties are available nationwide in U.S. grocer's freezers. The products also are sold in Canada, Mexico and Brazil and in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom under the Nestle-owned Maggi brand name.

In Solon, the Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets business will join a family of well-known food brands including Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine frozen meals; Buitoni refrigerated pastas and sauces; Nestle Toll House baking ingredients and refrigerated cookie dough; Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin and the Nestle Carnation Milks.

Several Nestle USA corporate functions also are housed in Solon, where Nestle recently expanded by building the Nestle Professional Culinary Center and acquiring the former Keithley Building on Bainbridge Road, which now houses Nestle Business Services functions. Plans also are being developed to establish a global R&D center specializing in frozen and chilled foods research on 18 recently rezoned acres of property near the Nestle campus.

Over the last two years, Nestle has added nearly 170 employees in Solon, bringing total employment in this location to just over 1900. Nestle Prepared Foods Company also operates manufacturing facilities in Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Arkansas, California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Total employment for Nestle Prepared Foods Company is 7650.

As a result of this relocation, some positions will be eliminated as activities are consolidated within Nestle Prepared Foods. Other positions will move from Colorado to Ohio. "We've encouraged the Englewood team to travel to Cleveland and explore the housing and recreational opportunities in the region before making their decisions. I moved my family here about a year ago, and we are pleased to have found great quality of life - a wonderful home, great schools and an easy commute," added Higgins.

Named one of "The World's Most Admired Food Companies" in Fortune magazine for fourteen consecutive years, Nestle provides quality brands and products that bring flavor to life every day. From nutritious meals with Lean Cuisine to baking traditions with Nestle Toll House, Nestle USA makes delicious, convenient, and nutritious food and beverage products that make good living possible. That's what "Nestle. Good Food, Good Life" is all about. Nestle USA, with 2010 sales of $10.4 billion, is part of Nestle S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland -- the world's largest food company with a commitment to Nutrition, Health & Wellness -- with 2010 sales of $105 billion.