 A mug of Horlicks | |
| Type | Sweet malted drink |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Aimia Foods (United Kingdom) Unilever (worldwide) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1873 |
| Related products | |
| Website | horlicks |
Horlicks is a British sweet malted milk hot drink powder developed by founders James and William Horlick. It was first sold as "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food", soon adding "aged and travellers" to their label.[1] In the early 20th century, it was sold as a powdered meal replacement drink mix.
'Night starvation' was a fictitious condition invented by Horlicks as an advertising gimmick that was supposedly relieved if a mug of the malt drink was consumed before bedtime. In the song "Goodness gracious me!", the doctor (played by Peter Sellers) mentions night starvation as one of the many possible ailments that his wealthy Italian patient (played by Sophia Loren) might be suffering from, when in fact the trouble is that they are both lovesick.
It was then marketed as a nutritional supplement and manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (Consumer Healthcare) in Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom. It is now produced by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever through its Indian division. Horlicks in the UK is currently owned by Aimia Foods.
On 3 December 2018, Unilever announced they were buying Horlicks Indian business for US$3.8 billion.[2] The Horlicks UK business had already been sold in 2017 to Aimia Foods,[3] a UK-based subsidiary of Cott Corporation.[4]
In Britain, Horlicks is commonly consumed as a drink near bedtime, and is marketed as an evening drink; in contrast, it has been marketed as a breakfast drink in India where it is far more popular.[5]
- ^ Howell, Madeleine (18 June 2018). "The surprising story of Horlicks, the original nutritional supplement, which is now on sale for $3bn". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018.
- ^ "Unilever swallows GSK's Indian Horlicks business for $3.8 billion". Reuters. 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "Unilever to acquire Horlicks business from GSK for £3.3bn". Insider.co.uk. 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ "Aimia Foods Limited - Cott Corporation". Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- ^ Hope, Katie (4 April 2017). "The drink Brits go to bed with and Indians wake up with". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.