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. 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 comedy song "Goodness Gracious Me!", the doctor (Peter Sellers) humorously suggests "night starvation" as a possible ailment, though the real issue is that both characters are 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. The Horlicks UK business had already been sold in 2017 to Aimia Foods, a UK-based subsidiary of Primo Water (formerly known as Cott Corporation). In Britain, Horlicks is commonly consumed before bedtime and marketed as an evening drink. In contrast, it is promoted as a breakfast drink in India, where it enjoys far greater popularity.