Ovaltine: Still Going Strong At 100

[george]

Ovaltine: Still going strong at 100

Ovaltine – the Swiss malt-based beverage which turns 100 this year – is consumed all over the world, and its popularity shows no sign of diminishing.

In Switzerland, generations have grown up with the drink that enjoys a wholesome, dynamic image.

Made from a formula devised by Dr Albert Wander in 1904, Ovaltine is marketed in almost 100 countries from Zimbabwe to Qatar and Russia to Ecuador. In Switzerland and some parts of the world it goes under the name Ovomaltine.

Although it has been established in Europe for the best part of a century, the milky beverage made from a sweetish malt-based powder is just starting to take off in Asia.

In China, where the former Sandoz group - one-time owners of Wander - opened a factory in 1995, Ovaltine (or A Hua Tin) is rivalling the traditional green tea.

In Thailand, it is even more popular and sales are continuing to grow.

“In the minds of Thai people, Ovaltine is associated with a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet, just as Dr Wander intended,” explained Thomas Städeli of the Zurich office of the Advico, Young and Rubicam advertising agency, which has carried out a market study of the product.

British favourite

In Europe, the biggest market is Britain. The British have a long tradition of drinking Ovaltine, going back to 1906. They and the Italians were the first to acquire the habit after the Swiss.

In 1913, the first Ovaltine factory outside Switzerland was built at King’s Langley in Hertfordshire.

Italy, meanwhile, continues to be “an important market”, according to Wander spokesman Alfredo Schilirò, although Italy imports only a third of the quantity of Ovaltine drunk by the British.

The enduring success of Ovaltine is due to its composition, depending on just a few nourishing ingredients: barley-malt extract, milk and egg.

Over the years, a small amount of cocoa has been added but otherwise Ovaltine still consists exclusively of unrefined raw materials.

“It is a complete beverage,” explained Professor Renato Amadò, of the Institute of Food Science in Zurich, “rich in proteins, vitamins and carbohydrates.”

A Swiss tradition

In Switzerland, Ovaltine is the stuff of legend, a brand that has always been closely associated with the national image.

“You will find it in every household, and for years it has been advertised on television,” said Thomas Städeli, “generations have grown up with Ovaltine.”

It has also been a great financial success. The Wander company has remained faithful to the ideas of its inventor, but has also shown a willingness to adapt to satisfy changing habits.

From powder in a tin to be mixed with milk at breakfast time, we have moved on to individual Ovaltine sachets and Ovaltine bars, ideal for travelling or when taking part in sport.

Sports connection

There is, in fact, a close link between Swiss sport and Ovaltine: the product was the first to be made available during a sporting competition, in 1927.

Wander practically invented the sponsoring of sporting events. “In 1967, Wander was the first Swiss company to sponsor a television commercial,” said Schilirò.

In its advertising, Ovaltine has always projected an image of health, vitality and physical strength.

In the mid-19th century, one Swiss child in five died from malnutrition in the first 12 months of life.

It was this that prompted pharmacist Georg Wander to look for a solution.

Food supplement

His brilliant idea was to mix egg with malt, a natural product that had been used as a remedy for over 2,000 years.

It was Wander’s belief that “by transforming raw materials, already complete in themselves, into a single product, one can obtain all the elements a person needs to recover from illness or physical breakdown”.

In 1865, Wander set up his own laboratory in Bern. There he produced a malt extract which for decades was to provide a vital food supplement for children and sick people.

When he died, his son Albert, a pharmacist and chemist, worked to improve the product, adding other natural energizing ingredients to the malt extract.

In 1904, Ovaltine was born.

Bern to Britain

In recent decades, Ovaltine’s parent company has changed hands a number of times.

In 1967, Wander was taken over by Sandoz. Then, when Sandoz merged with Ciba in 1996, Wander came under the ownership of Novartis.

In 2002, the Bern-based company was acquired by the Associated British Food group.

Production for the European market continues to be based in Switzerland, at the Neuenegg plant in canton Bern.

The new British owners have decided to invest more heavily in the Swiss factory, raising the number of employees to over 300 and giving Neuenegg strategic importance as a research centre.

--swissinfo 2004-04-17

[Sandy]

Thanks for the update and info George. At the age 23, I still drink "Ovaltine"

[Bluecat]

At the age 23, I still drink "Ovaltine"

What about the smoking part, Sandy?

[Sandy]

Wrong thread for this, but i has been 5 days now. Still kinda sick.

[Jeepz]

I keep a back up supply of Chocolate Ovaltine (old forumla) with me where ever I go. No if, ands, or buts. I can go without smokes, booze, and wimmen, but don't get between me and the last of the Ovaltine.

Jeepz

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Wrong thread for this, but i has been 5 days now. Still kinda sick.

Good girl Sandy. Keep it up and C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

[Pink Mist]

Wrong thread for this, but i has been 5 days now. Still kinda sick.

Good girl Sandy. Keep it up and C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

If I can do it Sandy anyone can, has been about 15 years for me and I feel no urge to smoke.

[KevinN]

I'm 70 and been drinking it all my life..

And no big deal to quitting smokes,,I have quit at least 1000 times,shiit 3 times just today. :Pand as soon as I stop coughing,I gonna lite another

.

[tutsiwarrior]

ovaltine?...shit, that's for pussies. You got to try Trapeziodaltine...puts hair on yer chest...burns hair out of yer teeth...

[Up2U]

Regrettably the Ovaltine farm at Abbots Langley (on the hills above the Kings Langley factory) was sold for executive dwellings a generation ago. I grew up with the guernsey and/or jersey cows on the farm, which was only 100m from my ancestral home. Can't stand Ovaltine And now no draught Ca'sabug Life is going down the tubes.