Catering to Every Palate in China (… almost)

The year 2009 was a momentous one for Totole as it marked Nestlé’s 10th year as a shareholder and partner, as well as the inauguration of the world’s largest chicken essence plant in Totole. In that same year, Totole launched a number of new products including Sichuan pepper oil, which is made from a type of pepper that is so named due to its widespread usage as an ingredient in the cuisine of Sichuan.1 Apart from being different from the bulk of Totole’s other products, which by and large cater to less fiery palates, the new Totole Szechuan Pepper Oil is also eye catching since Sichuan is the home base of Sichuan Haoji, Nestlé’s other chicken essence joint venture. Indeed, as Nestlé described it back in 2001, its investment in Sichuan Haoji provided “additional access to and expertise in the world famous Sichuan cuisine,”2 thereby setting itself up for the intriguingly intricate challenge of adding Haoji to its existing food-flavouring brand portfolio of Totole and, to a lesser extent, Maggi.