It’s part of a big reshuffle at the top of the Swiss food and beverage giant. Philipp Navratil, the former Nespresso chief, was moved into Nestle’s ultimate top job as CEO earlier this month; following the sudden dismissal of Laurent Freixe for an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate.
That left the Nespresso CEO position vacant. Now, Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen, a 30 year veteran of Nestlé, will take up the role as chief executive officer of Nespresso and member of the group executive board on November 1.
Premium coffee growth
Coffee has been a growth engine for Nestlé over the last few years, as the coffee market booms globally.
And Nespresso is one of Nestle’s power brands; thanks to its focus on the premium coffee market.
The global division made CHF 6.4bn ($8bn USD) in sales in 2024.
Loeschen has been the CEO of Nespresso’s North American business since January 2020, which covers the sizable US, Canada and Mexico markets.
He is credited with successfully leading the expansion of the Nespresso Vertuo system to grow at a double-digit rate and gain market share: a key product for Nestlé in a market where it competes with Keurig Dr Pepper and the Keurig system.
The Vertuo system allows consumers to access 35 different coffee varieties and create a range of coffees from short, long, iced, gourmet or even a functional ‘coffee+’ option with B12, ginseng or extra caffeine.
That is helping Nespresso attract new consumers into the category: particularly younger ones who favor cold coffee.
Limited editions and collaborations (such as Pantone’s Mediterranean Summer Campaign) have also helped create excitement around the brand and keep consumers coming back.
Other innovations in the US include the launch of Nespresso Bloom: a range of honey products produced by bees that pollinate the same coffee plants as Nespresso coffee (the limited line, available exclusively in New York and San Francisco boutiques last year, put the spotlight on Nespresso’s ambitions to transition to regenerative agriculture practices).
Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen
Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen began his career at Nestlé in Mexico as an assistant marketing manager in 1992.
With a career spanning more than 30 years with Nestlé, he has held various leadership positions across geographies and business operations, including Mexico, Puerto Rico and the US.
Loeschen was previously Vice-President of Marketing for the Beverage Division of Nestlé USA , General Manager for Nestlé in Puerto Rico, and Nespresso's Chief Marketing Officer.
Loeschen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico.
In Europe, however, Loeschen will be expected to address underperformance of the Nespresso brand, which posted flat growth in FY2024.
Nespresso has already identified the need to focus on increasing availability and visibility of the brand to improve performance: and Loeschen will be tasked with executing this mission.
Commenting on Loeschen’s appointment, Philipp Navratil, CEO of Nestlé, said: “We look forward to working with Alfonso to advance our growth strategy for Nespresso.
“His extensive expertise and deep understanding of the portioned coffee category, along with Alfonso’s results-focused approach and talent to inspire teams, will enable him to drive performance and execution”.
Sizing up: The big guns in the coffee industry
Nestle
Headquarters: Vevey, Switzerland
Annual sales: $29.5bn in coffee ($8bn in Nespresso)
Focus: Heavyweights Nespresso, Nescafe and Starbucks retail in global markets
JDE Peet's (to combine with KDP, as announced in August)
Headquarters: Amsterdam
Annual sales: $10.3bn
Focus: L'OR, Peet's, Jacobs, Senseo, Tassimo, Douwe Egberts
Keurig Dr Pepper (to combine with JDE Peet's, as announced in August)
Headquarters: Texas, US
Annual sales: $4bn in coffee
Focus: Keurig coffee systems and coffee pods and Green Mountain
Lavazza
Headquarters: Turin, Italy
Annual sales: $3.8bn
Focus: European style coffee products
J.M. Smucker
Headquarters: Ohio, US
Annual sales: Total sales across food, snacks, pets and coffee $8.7bn
Focus: At-home retail coffee, including Folgers and Cafe Bustelo
Starbucks
Headquarters: Seattle
Annual sales: $36bn
Focus: The world's largest coffee shop chain
Costa Coffee (Coca-Cola)
Annual sales: $1.2bn
Focus: The world's second largest coffee chain