Horlicks - Company Timeline

Company Timeline

• 1869: William Horlick from Ruardean, Gloucestershire emigrated to the United States.
• 1873: James Horlick, a pharmacist, joined his brother, William, in the U.S. and together they founded the company J & W Horlicks in Chicago to manufacture a patented malted milk drink as an artificial infant food.
• 1875: Business moved to larger premises at Racine, Wisconsin, with an abundant supply of spring water.
• 1883: U.S. patent 278,967 granted to William for first malted milk drink mixing powder with hot water.
• 1890: James returned to London to set up an office importing U.S.-made product.
• 1906: Slough selected as site for new factory (see picture).
• 1908: Factory construction completed at a cost of £28,000.
• 1909-1910: Horlicks became popular as a provision for North Pole and South Pole expeditions by Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, and Robert Falcon Scott.
• 1914: James made a baronet. World War I saw extensive use of Horlicks drink at home and at the front.
• 1921: Death of James led company to split, with William having responsibility for the Americas and the sons of James for the rest of the world.
• 1928: William Horlick High School founded just north of Horlicks' headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin.
• 1931: "Night Starvation" story developed to promote Horlicks as a bedtime drink.
• 1935: Richard E. Byrd named the Horlick Mountains on the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf after William, in appreciation of his support. A small factory opened in Australia for the local market, including New Zealand. Horlicks milky-chocolate-flavoured disks in paper packets, which were eaten as candy, were marketed in the USA via radio commercials touting the ease with which they could be taken to school by children.
  In America, Horlicks Tablets were sold as a candy, offered in a glass bottle resembling an aspirin jar. These tablets were used during World War II as an energy boosting treat by U.S., UK and other soldiers, as well as being a component of aircrew escape kits. Today, these are packaged in foil pouches, manufactured in Malaysia as Horlicks Malties
• 1936: William Horlick died, aged 90.
• 1945: The U.S. company was acquired by the British Horlicks business.
• 1952: Horlicks was linked to the successful treatment of gastric ulcers and some forms of diabetes.
• 1960: Factory built in Punjab, India to make Horlicks from buffalo milk.
• 1968: Factory built in Punjab, Pakistan, to supply local demand (including East Pakistan, now Bangladesh).
• 1969: Horlicks acquired by the Beecham Group.
• 1975-1978: Factory construction and expansion in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh.
• 1989: Beecham Group became SmithKline Beecham.
• 2000: SmithKline Beecham became GlaxoSmithKline.