Horlicks is 140 years old.
Because Horlicks contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals, it has been trusted by mums for decades, has been a provision for North and South Pole expeditions, a nutritious drink during wartimes and a source of nutrients for Olympic athletes. The multi-vitamins, minerals, macronutrients and fibre in Horlicks are important to keep children nourished every day.
Horlicks is made from milk, malted barley and wheat with no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or preservatives. Horlicks is trusted to support childhood growth and development by millions of mums across the world.
Horlicks was invented by two British-born men, William Horlick (1846-1936) and his brother James (1844-1921) from Gloucestershire, England in 1873.
James was a chemist, working for a company that made dried baby food. William, the younger brother, had emigrated to America in 1869 and James decided to join him in Chicago in 1873.
That same year, they started their own company (J&W Horlicks) to make a malted milk drink.
On 5th June 1883, the brothers obtained the US patent no.278,967 for their drink's ability to mix up in liquid – and so it became the first malted milk to be patented.
They were quite the pioneers back then!
The brothers built their first UK factory in Slough, Berkshire, at a cost of £28,000 in 1908.
The 1948 London Olympics saw another very proud moment when the organizing Committee gave Horlicks to all the competitors taking part. It was served both as a bedtime drink and at the various stadia during the actual sports.
We were very proud to become an official sponsor of the charity Walking With The Wounded. The Horlicks team sponsored WWTW's expedition to climb to the summit of Mount Everest in May 2010. This echoed the days when Horlicks was taken on Polar expeditions. We created specially formulated packs of Horlicks, porridge and fudge to nourish the brave team on their expedition.
