Daniel Peter

Daniel Peter
Born	(1836-03-09)9 March 1836 Moudon, Switzerland
Died	4 November 1919(1919-11-04) (aged 83) Vevey, Switzerland
Nationality	Swiss
Occupation	Chocolatier
Known for	Creator of milk chocolate

Daniel Peter (9 March 1836 – 4 November 1919) was a Swiss chocolatier. A neighbour of Henri Nestlé in Vevey, he was one of the first chocolatiers to make milk chocolate, in 1875 or 1876, by adding powdered milk to the chocolate.

Life

Peter was born on 9 March 1836. He began his career as a candle maker in his native town of Vevey, Switzerland, but soon demand for his candles fell, owing to the introduction of affordable kerosene lamps.

When Peter came up with the process of making milk chocolate in 1857, he had a problem with removing the water from the milk, which caused mildew to form. It was not until he enlisted the cooperation of M. Henri Nestlé, then a baby-food manufacturer who had invented a milk-condensation process, that finally, in 1875, after seven years of effort, he was able to bring the product onto the market. Later, in 1879, the two men formed a partnership that organised the Nestlé Company, eventually one of the largest of Europe-based confection industries, into existence. He died on 4 November 1919 in Vevey, Switzerland.