It may be known as a pretty village in the Forest of Dean, sitting near Cinderford, but Ruardean also has another claim to fame – that of the birthplace of Horlicks.
The inventor of the popular malted milk – James Horlick – was born in the village to its Congregationalist minister, John. James and John came up with the drink (dried milk with malt) in their shed in the 1860s. It still stands today, behind the Malt Shovel pub, as a tribute to the men who went on to make the drink a global favourite.
An ‘infant food’ that sustained adults during WW1
James was born in 1844, and two years later, his brother William came along. The brothers finally brought the drink to market when they moved to the US. Initially, they moved to London when in their late teens. James qualified as a pharmacist in 1869, working on dried infant food using malt, bran, milk and water. He went to America in 1873 to join his brother, and within a year, the pair had formed the company J & W Horlicks in Chicago.
They bought a patent for their malted milk drink, which they mass-produced and marketed as artificial baby food. Two years later, the brothers and their families moved to
Racine in Wisconsin (25 miles south of Milwaukee).
Horlicks factory opens outside London
After 15 years in America, James returned to London. The reason for his transatlantic move was to organise importing Horlicks back to the UK. So, he established a Horlicks factory in Slough, west of London, in 1906.
In 1914, James was made a baronet at the start of the First World War. Horlicks was considered an important nutritional drink in America and the UK.
James Horlick died in London in 1921, aged 77. By that time, he had amassed a fortune of £450,481, 5 shillings and 5 pence.
Brother William’s part in the Horlicks story
His brother William initially followed his father, John as an apprentice saddler. The first brother to emigrate to the US, he ended up opening branches in New York in 1889. He became president of the Horlicks company following his brother’s death.
William died in 1836, leaving a wife, Arabella and two children. At the time of his death, he was regarded as something of a philanthropist, having donated money for a maternity ward and high school and expeditions to Antarctica and the North Pole. In fact, the Horlick Mountains in the Antarctic are named after him.
Horlicks – 150 years and still going strong
Horlicks is still marketed as a nutritional drink that contains no artificial colours and flavours, sweeteners or preservatives. Today it can also be bought in vegan and chocolate versions, in addition to the original malt flavour. It also comes in the form of a nourishing breakfast shake. Its current owners are Unilever in India.
