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Ralston Purina, stripped down to a pure-pet food company, now is part of Swiss-based Nestle, one of the biggest food companies in the world.
The $10.3 billion cash deal that created Nestle Purina PetCare, combines Ralston's Dog Chow and Cat Chow under the same roof as Nestle's Alpo, Friskies and Mighty Dog brands.
The combination planted its roots more than a year ago in the New York townhouse of Bill Stiritz, Ralston's chairman, where he met with Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Nestle's chief executive, who had come to New York on business. The two veteran food executives both saw their industries consolidating, they said, when they announced the combination Jan. 16.
Shortly after that...