BabyNes: a Nespresso machine in a baby version Close panel Open panel Plume Le Figaro App -icon - 512px V1 1 - Style/Logotypes/Le Figaro/Apps/jeux
After coffee and then tea machines, Nestlé is extending its star concept to...milk bottles! Last year, the world's number one agrifood company launched Special-T, a Nespresso version for Earl Gray and other Darjeelings. In 2011, with all-out competition on the coffee pod front (Maison du Café, Casino, etc.), the inventor of powdered infant milk sets out to conquer babies and their mothers.
The Swiss giant has chosen Switzerland to test its machine called BabyNes as well as its powdered infant milk capsules, marketed since Wednesday morning. According to the group, it is "the world's first complete nutritional solution for infants and young children".
Top of the range
The operation is simple, it allows you to prepare a bottle of milk in less than a minute and with one hand, by choosing the appropriate capsule (there are six) to the baby's age and nutritional needs. First select the desired temperature, then insert the hermetic capsule into the machine and then press the button. After filtering the water, the machine - which automatically calculates the amount of water needed - pours the milk into the bottle. The capsules can also be used on the go, independent of the machine.
Like its predecessors Nespresso and Spécial-T, BabyNes is positioned at the top of the range. Sold in a limited number of stores and pharmacies, the machine and its capsules are available on the Internet. The machine costs 249 Swiss francs (202 euros), the box of 26 capsules between 49 and 55 Swiss francs (40-45 euros). The bottle thus costs about 2 Swiss francs (1.5-1.7 euros). It's five times more expensive than using milk sold in supermarkets...
"The price is hard to justify"
While industry experts recognize the practicality of the concept and the credibility of Nestlé in infant nutrition, they are surprised at the price of BabyNes. “Without particular nutritional benefits, the price is difficult to justify”, observes a consultant. “BabyNes does not otherwise solve the problems of sterilization and cleaning of bottles”.
The French specialist in childcare, Beaba, the inventor of the Babycook robot, is also very interested in this concept of milk pods. “The price of the machine should not exceed 129 euros and that of the pods 50 cents”, estimates Jean-Paul Vuillermet, president of Béaba.
While this is a niche, it nevertheless allows Nestlé to retain its customers. "This allows him to enrich the portfolio of customers with whom he maintains direct contact and to bring them into the Nestlé universe," notes the consultant. If successful, Nestlé does not rule out launching its baby pods in other European countries.
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