Swiss group Nestlé, the world's largest food and beverage company and owner of the Nescafé coffee brand, says it is reviewing its operations in Russia after a presidential decree signed on 17 September 2026 placed its local business under temporary external administration. The same measure targeted French retailer Auchan, with both companies' assets transferred to the control of Russian firm L.E.V Management.
According to World Coffee Portal, Nestlé still owns its brands in Russia but can no longer exercise autonomous control over its assets. The company runs six production sites in the country and employed more than 7,000 people there when the war in Ukraine began. In a statement issued on Friday, Nestlé said it was weighing all options to protect its rights.
The move is part of a wider wave of Western corporate assets being taken over by Russian authorities against the backdrop of international sanctions. For the coffee industry the stakes are clear: Nescafé is one of the best-known instant coffee brands on the Russian market, and the future of its local production is now uncertain.
Source: World Coffee Portal