Horlicks
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Horlicks is a sweet malted milk hot drink developed by founders James and William Horlick. It was first sold as “Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food”, soon adding “aged and travelers” to their label. In the early 20th century it was sold as a powdered meal replacement drink mix. It was then marketed as a nutritional supplement and manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (Consumer Healthcare) in the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Jamaica.

HORLICK’S MALTED MILK COMPANY
Founded in 1873, under the name “J & W Horlick Company”, the Horlick’s Malted Milk Company was the creation of brothers William and James Horlick. The company specialized in producing malted milk as a nutritional supplement in a variety of forms. From simple powdered malted milk, to special tablets called “diastoids” (after the diastatic enzymes that break starches down into sugar).

The company was originally incorporated in 1873, in the city of Chicago, Illinois. James, William, and their wives Margaret and Arabella, were the original stockholders for the fledgling company. James then became company president and William took on the role of treasurer and vice president. James would later return to their home country of England to establish a branch there, while William would stay behind to manage the original company after it moved outside Racine, Wisconsin, in 1875. The company eventually became a leader in Racine’s food industry.

The Horlick’s Malted Milk Company had an enormous impact on the region around Racine, Wisconsin and beyond. For example, the milk used in production needed to be of high quality so that the end product would be safe for consumers. At this time, milk standards were loose and milk borne illnesses were common. In response, Horlick’s established quality standards for milk, and also designed special steel containers to preserve their product. Other cities and companies across the country soon started using Horlick’s milk standards as their own. Horlick’s also used so much milk that local dairy farmers needed to expand their herds in order to keep up with demand. Meanwhile, barley was sourced from farms in Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin, and then turned into malt at nearby malting companies. Horlick’s wheat came from across the region, but was usually processed in Minnesota. After developing their chocolate recipe, Horlick’s even began to import cacao from the tropics.

While Horlick’s was growing its Midwestern operations, William’s brother James had returned to England in 1890 to establish a factory in Slough, just west of London. This new Horlick’s branch served not just the English market, but also the entirety of the British Empire. Horlick’s malted milk products were now being carried in most corners of the world, from Ireland, Italy, and the Hawaiian Islands, to India, Southeast Asia, and even the Belgian Congo. Horlick’s Malted Milk tablets were even brought along on several dangerous expeditions, including Richard Byrd’s second expedition to the South Pole, and his ascent up the second highest mountain in the Himalayas. Perhaps most famously, all those who served at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 were given a free bottle of the tablets.

In 1975, after nearly 90 years of operation in Racine, Wisconsin, the Horlick’s plant was shut down by parent company GlaxoSmithKline. If you travel abroad to the United Kingdom and many of its former colonies, you may still find Horlick’s products on the shelves, often in powdered form and used as a sleep aid