Nestlé strengthens child nutrition hub in Konolfingen with new quality laboratory

Nestlé has reinforced its global expertise in child nutrition with the inauguration of a state-of-the-art quality laboratory at its Konolfingen site in the canton of Bern. The CHF 17.5 million investment, which created six new jobs, is the latest in a decade-long modernization effort that has seen nearly CHF 150 million invested at the site.

The Konolfingen facility serves as Nestlé’s global center of competence for powdered infant formula and specialized nutrition products, all made from Swiss milk. Around 900 people are employed on site, where production, research, development, and quality control are concentrated. Operating 24/7, the factory processes 100,000 tons of fresh milk annually, with 98% of its output exported to more than 70 markets worldwide, including highly regulated destinations such as China.

The new laboratory expands the site’s analytical capacity to 1,200 microbiological samples per day. This enables faster testing directly on-site, reducing the need to send samples to other Nestlé laboratories in Switzerland and thereby cutting production interruptions. “Our products are analyzed at many different stages, raw materials, semi-finished, and finished goods, according to more than 100 parameters,” explained Göpf Lanz, Head of Operations at Nestlé Switzerland. “Having this recognized quality control directly on site is essential for exports.”

For Daniel Bühlmann, Head of Quality Services in Konolfingen, the new facility underscores Nestlé’s ambition to remain among the world leaders in food safety and efficiency. The laboratory has been integrated into a historic part of the building that once produced Stalden cream, combining tradition with cutting-edge technology and symbolizing Nestlé’s commitment to innovation rooted in Swiss quality.

A site of global significance

Konolfingen has a long tradition in dairy innovation dating back to 1892, when César Ritz founded the Berneralpen Milchgesellschaft to produce long-life milk for his hotels abroad. Acquired by Nestlé in 1971, the site became a research and development hub in 1974 and today stands as one of Nestlé’s largest global production centers. Each day, products from Konolfingen feed one million children around the world.

With the opening of the new quality laboratory, Nestlé further strengthens its footprint in Switzerland, where it operates nine production sites and employs 8,500 people. As a founding partner of the Swiss Food and Nutrition Valley, the company continues to anchor global innovation in nutrition within the Western Switzerland ecosystem.