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Ovaltine

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Ovaltine (Ovomaltine)
Ovaltine jar and cup, both in the distinctive orange colour
TypeChoco milk drink
ManufacturerAssociated British Foodsor licensees
(Nestléin the United States)
Country of originSwitzerland
Introduced1904;120 years ago(1904)
VariantsChocolate Malt, Malt, Rich Chocolate
Related products
WebsiteOfficial websiteEdit this at Wikidata(in German, French, and Italian)

Ovaltine(also known by its original nameOvomaltine) is a brand ofmilkflavoring product made withmaltextract,sugar(except in Switzerland), andwhey.Some flavors also havecocoa.Ovaltine, a registeredtrademarkofAssociated British Foods,is made byWander AG,a subsidiary ofTwinings,which acquired the brand fromNovartisin 2002,[1]except in theUnited States,whereNestléacquired the rights separately fromNovartisin the late 2000s.

History

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Swiss chemist and pharmacist Albert Wander (1867–1950) developed Ovomaltine in 1904.

Ovaltine was developed in 1904 by chemistAlbert Wander[de](1867–1950),[2]inBern,Switzerland, where it is also known by its original name,Ovomaltine(fromovum,Latin for "egg", andmalt,which were originally its key ingredients). In 1927, the factory moved out to the village ofNeuenegg,a short distance west of Bern, where it is still produced.[3]

Early 20th century American Ovaltine container

Ovomaltine was exported toBritainasOvaltinein 1909. A factory was built inKings Langley,which took it to the United States as well. By 1915, Ovaltine was being manufactured inVilla Park, Illinois,for the US market. Ovaltine was later manufactured inPeterborough, Ontario,for distribution in Canada. Gerald Ethelbert Goldsmith was the president of the Ovaltine Foods at this time.[4][5]In 1943, Ovaltine opened its second-largest factory inDevonport, Tasmania,to facilitate the demands of theAustralasianandSoutheast Asianmarkets.[6][7]

Ovaltine advertisement in an American medical journal, 1917

Originally advertised as consisting solely of "malt, milk, eggs, flavoured with cocoa", the formulation has changed over the decades, and today several formulations are sold in different parts of the world. In India[8]and the UK, it no longer contains eggs.[9]

Ovaltine in crystalline form

A chocolate malt version is sold as a powder which is mixed with hot or coldmilkas a beverage.MaltOvaltine (a version without cocoa) andRich ChocolateOvaltine (a version without malt) are also available in some markets. Ovaltine has also been available in the form ofchocolate bars,chocolate Easter eggs, parfait, cookies, and breakfast cereals.[10]

Ovaltine also manufactured PDQ Chocolate Flavor Beads, PDQ Choco Chips, Eggnog Flavored PDQ, and Strawberry PDQ which are no longer available. Thesedrink mixesenjoyed their greatest popularity from the 1960s to the 1980s.[11][12][13]

Villa Park, Illinois, was home to the Ovaltine factory in the United States from 1917 until the company's purchase and withdrawal in 1988. The Villa Park Historical Society maintains a permanent exhibit of Ovaltine advertising and memorabilia. The old factory was converted to loft apartments keeping the original floors and wall exposed, and is known today as Ovaltine Court.[14]

Acquisitions

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In 1992, Himmel Group obtained the right to make and sell Ovaltine in the US from Sandoz Nutrition Corporation. In 2002, Himmel sold their rights to Novartis. As of 2007, Nestlé had acquired Novartis' medical nutrition division and has the rights to Ovaltine.[15][16]

International appeal

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The listedart decofaçade of the former Ovaltine factory, Kings Langley. The building was redeveloped into housing in 2002.

Ovaltine was very popular inBritain,and was manufactured at Kings Langley in Hertfordshire using a process that included GEA Wiegand falling film evaporators to concentrate liquid malt extract, which was then dried under vacuum in steam heated band dryers. Theart decostyle Ovaltine factory in Kings Langley is a well-known local landmark. Production ceased in 2002 and the factory has now been redeveloped as luxury flats. Near the factory was a health farm run by the Ovaltine works, which was set up as a model farm and a health resort for disadvantaged children, which operated until the 1960s. Later, the farm land was sold and is now largely occupied by theM25 motorway.The Ovaltine Egg Farm is now the site ofRenewable Energy SystemsLtd.[17]

Ovaltine also produces various chocolate products, such as the Ovolino bar.

In October 2002, the food and drinks division of Novartis, the maker of Ovaltine, was bought by Associated British Foods.[18]ABF currently produces Ovaltine in Switzerland, China, Thailand and Australia. In Canada, Ovaltine is produced by Grace Foods in biscuit and powdered drink forms. In theUnited StatesNestlé manufactures Ovaltine.[19]

InHong Kong,Ovaltine, likeHorlicks,is known as a café drink. It is served atcha chaan tengsas well as fast-food shops such asCafé de CoralandMaxim's Express.It is served hot, or on ice as a cold drink. In Brazil, it is commonly mixed with vanilla ice cream. In theAsianmarket, it is a chocolate ice cream flavoured with Ovaltine powder. The Ovomaltine brand is highly recognizable inSwitzerland,and the brand is associated withskiingandsnowboarding.TheMcCaféin Hong Kong provides "Ovaltine Crunchy Latte" and other drinks and desserts.[20]

InMalaysia,Ovaltine has lost its popularity toMilo.Ovaltine is sold inTetra Pakcartons for cold serving and is widely available in shops and supermarkets, yet it has a low profile compared to similar beverages in the market. In Japan, Ovaltine was sold for a short period in the late 1970s byCalpisIndustries (presently Calpis Co., Ltd.), but it was not a commercial success. In Australia,Ovalteeniesare sold as round tablets of compressed Ovaltine, eaten ascandy.[21]

Brazilian fast-food chainBob's,the largest competitor toMcDonald'sin that country, offered, since 1959,milkshakesandsundaesmade with Ovaltine, where it goes by the name of "Ovomaltine", which became a flagship product of the fast-food chain inBrazil.In 2016, McDonald's acquired exclusive rights to sell "Ovomaltine" -branded milkshakes. Brazil has the second largest Ovaltine factory, inSão Paulo,and is the second largest consumer market for the product, afterThailand.The Brazilian Ovaltine differs from other varieties, originating from an assembly line malfunction that made the powdercrispierthat is still maintained today.[22]

In 2011, Ovaltine was banned in Denmark under legislation forbidding the sale of food products with added vitamins unless claims about their effectiveness are proven.[23]

Ovaltine cup manufactured exclusively for the Wander Company, makers of Ovaltine
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The US children's radio seriesLittle Orphan Annie(1931–1940) andCaptain Midnight(1938–1949), and the subsequentCaptain MidnightTV series (1954–1956) were sponsored by Ovaltine. They had promotions in which listeners could saveproofs-of-purchasefrom Ovaltine jars to obtainradio premiums,such as "secret decoder ring"badges, or pins that could be used to decode messages in the program.[24]

Another radio program aimed at five- to fourteen-year-olds,The League ofOvaltineys,was broadcast to Great Britain byRadio Luxembourgon Sunday evenings at 5:30 PM. Beginning in February 1935, it was broadcast until September 1939, when the outbreak ofWorld War IIforced closure of the station, and again after the war from 1952. As with the US program, listeners could obtain badges, pins, and secret codes. The Ovaltineys'advertising jingle,which featured the popular English singing trioThe Beverley Sisters,was regarded as one of the most successful jingles of the era.[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"L'histoire".www.wander.ch(in French).Retrieved30 August2017.
  2. ^OvaltineinGerman,FrenchandItalianin the onlineHistorical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  3. ^"History".Wander AG.Retrieved25 January2022.
  4. ^Vernon's Peterborough Directory, 1937, p. 342 "Wander, A., Ltd.
  5. ^Vernon's Peterborough Directory, 1960, p. 251, "Ovaltine Food Products"
  6. ^"Devonport Ovaltine Factory Formally Opened".The Advocate (Australia).Tasmania, Australia. 19 March 1943. p. 2.Retrieved10 November2023– via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^Anderson, Don (director) (1967).More Than Apples(YouTube).Libraries Tasmania.Retrieved10 November2023.
  8. ^"Ovaltine Malt Beverage Mix 400g: Amazon.in: Grocery & Gourmet Foods".Amazon.in.
  9. ^"Ovaltine Malted Drink, Original 300g".Sainsbury's.
  10. ^"Crisp Müesli - Ovomaltine".Open Food Facts. 26 December 2016.Retrieved25 January2022.
  11. ^"Advertising Memo".The Minneapolis Star.24 March 1971. p. 10C.Retrieved14 July2020.
  12. ^Jason (27 January 2014)."Gone But Not Forgotten Groceries: From the Beverage Aisle: PDQ".Gone But Not Forgotten Groceries.Retrieved21 July2023.
  13. ^"Food of the Seventies, PDQ Drink Mix".inthe70s.Retrieved21 July2023.
  14. ^Gallun, Alby (17 July 2013)."Two suburban apartment properties fetch $88 million".Crain's Chicago Business.Retrieved12 June2021.
  15. ^"Nestlé completes its acquisition of Novartis Medical Nutrition"(Press release). Nestlé. 2 July 2007.Retrieved5 January2017.
  16. ^"Brands | Ovaltine".The Himmel Group.15 May 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 20 January 2013.Retrieved11 November2012.
  17. ^"Low carbon building".Beaufort Court.Retrieved25 January2022.
  18. ^Court, Mark."ABF pays £171m for Ovaltine".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved29 June2021.
  19. ^"Ovaltine Vs. Milo – The Malted Beverage Wars".Onkey Business.8 June 2021.Retrieved25 January2022.
  20. ^Cc trường kỳ ngạ."4 khoản hạn định điềm phẩm + đặc ẩm đăng tràng! McCafé tân thôi a hoa điền hệ liệt".Hk cảng sinh hoạt.Retrieved13 June2017.
  21. ^"Calories in Ovaltine Ovalteenies".calcount.28 July 2020.Retrieved25 January2022.
  22. ^"Mundo S/A.Erro na receita do Ovomaltine agradou paladar dos brasileiros ".GloboNews.2 December 2011.Retrieved11 December2014.
  23. ^"Ovaltine, Vegemite Banned in Denmark".FOX News.26 May 2011.
  24. ^Olsen, John,"A short history of Radio's Orphan Annie and her Decoder Badges",Radio Archives,retrieved9 January2012
  25. ^Street, Sean.Crossing the ether: pre-war public service radio and commercial competition in the UK.2006, Indiana University Press, pp. 112–113.
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