Akta-Vite was a brand of chocolate flavouring for milk or plant milk. As it does not itself contain milk products, it is lactose-free and suitable for people who are lactose intolerant or avoiding dairy products for other reasons. It was created in 1943 by George Nicholas in Chadstone, a suburb of Melbourne, and initially marketed as a nutritional supplement available only in pharmacies. It is owned and manufactured by the Nicholas family through Nicholas Health and Nutrition Pty Ltd. Akta-vite is no longer in production[1]
History
Alfred Nicholas and his brother George Nicholas became wealthy by producing Australian-made aspirin sold as Aspro after Bayer lost their Australian patent during the First World War. This wealth enabled them to diversify into nutritional supplements, including Akta-Vite.[2] Many nutrients were not readily available in synthetic form in the 1940s, with natural ingredients including vitamin A from shark livers.[1] Akta-Vite was exported to Southeast Asia in the 1950s, and became a well-known brand in Thailand,[3] being sold in an orange tin can.[2]
The brand was sold to the Sara Lee Corporation in 1984, and bought back by the Nicholas family in 2016.[1]
External links
References
- Akta-Vite Returns to its Original Owners The Australia Times, 27 April 2016, retrieved 1 January 2019^
- Marc Moncrief. Shake up looms for Akta-Vite after family firm buys back Aussie icon The Age, 2 May 2016, retrieved 1 January 2019^
- Paul Battersby. To the Islands: White Australia and the Malay Archipelago since 1788 Lexington Books, 2007, retrieved 1 January 2019^