The magic powder came in a metal can that we kept in a cupboard, high above the stove. It was off-limits to little hands, unless of course, a special occasion arrived, or by some other miracle, we got the green light. In which case, one of the smaller kids was allowed to push a chair over, climb aboard, and reach into that cupboard for the amazing can.
Yellow on the top, and brown on the bottom, with bold blue letters in cursive across the front. QUIK. We called it by its full name, Nestle Quick. Oh, and we would have it one of three ways. In cold milk. In hot milk. Or on vanilla ice cream.
However we consumed the Quik, the decision was by decree. I mean, it had been preordained. “We are having chocolate milk.” And we would all mix our Quik in glasses of cold milk. Or “We are having hot chocolate.” You follow. I loved them all it and would be a hard thing to pick a favorite. Although, with the ice cream, there was a degree of leniency. Some of us kids sprinkled it on top, and others of us mixed it in, stirring and stirring the ice cream and chocolate until it resembled a soft-serve.
As I mentioned, it was a rare occasion that the can came out. Which made it all the more special. When we had the cold milk version, I would intentionally not stir mine very well. I found that this method made the milk pleasantly chocolate and sweet, but at the end, once all the milk was gone, a few big globs of chocolate remained at the bottom. I would clank that spoon down into my glass and scoop them out, large clumps of chocolate wonder.
Oh, I long for those worry-free days of Nestle Quik. Just recounting the experience reminds me how much of a treat it was, a celebration, when we had the likes of Nestle Quik. It was crazy good. I’m not sure kids these days celebrate such small and simple pleasures. It is kind of sad.
Things change though. Back in those days, Nestle Quik and Nestle Condensed Milk seemed like their two big products. I am not sure when the Nestle Crunch happened, but that was a big favorite treat for me too.
The company was founded by Henri Nestle. Heinrich Nestle was born on August 10, 1814, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He was the eleventh of fourteen children. Maybe I’m related.
He didn’t start out with the candy bar, I’ll tell you that. Before Nestlé turned 20 years of age, he completed a four-year apprenticeship as a pharmacist. He moved to Switzerland shortly thereafter, and by the end of 1839, he was officially authorized to perform chemical experiments. He could make up prescriptions, and sell medicines. As a pharmacist. He changed his name too. To Henri. So he would fit in with the French-speaking majority of the region.
Nestle’ got involved in the production of all sorts of things — nut oils (used to fuel oil lamps), liqueurs, rum, absinthe, and vinegar. Carbonated mineral water and lemonade. Even gaslighting and fertilizers. Still no Nestle’ Crunch.
He became interested in a decent baby formula. By 1867, Nestlé had produced a viable powdered milk product. He and his wife didn’t have children, so that wasn’t the reason. But, they were aware of the high death rate among infants. Fresh milk was not always available in large towns. And to top it all off, women in higher society started to view breastfeeding as “unfashionable.”
He concocted quite a healthy mix and people quickly recognized the value of the new product. It was called, “Henri Nestlé’s Milk Flour” and sold throughout Europe. By the 1870s, “Nestlé’s Infant Food, made with malt, cow’s milk, sugar, and wheat flour, was selling in the US for $0.50 a bottle.” (Nestle’)
He partnered with a guy named Daniel Peter, and in 1879, the Nestlé Company was born. It eventually became one of the largest of Europe-based confection industries. Today, it is the world’s largest food and beverage company. And to answer the burning question? 1938. That is the year the Nestle’ Crunch bar was invented. The miraculous cans of Quik came later, in 1948.
Not long after that, I came around and started wearing that good Quik Mustache. Oh so good.
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“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein
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“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”
― C.S. Lewis
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“Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them you find more than you ever dreamed you’d see.”
― Lemony Snicket, The Lump of Coal
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