Akta-Vite is a brand of
chocolate flavouring for
milk or
plant milk
Plant milk is a plant beverage with a color resembling that of milk. Plant milks are non-dairy beverages made from a water-based plant extract for flavoring and aroma. Plant milks are consumed as alternatives to milk, and often provide a crea ...
. As it does not itself contain milk products, it is
lactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar synthesized by galactose and glucose subunits and has the molecular formula C12H22O11. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from ' (gen. '), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix '' - ...
-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
Chadstone is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. Chadstone recorded a population of 9,552 at the 2021 census.
Landmarks inc ...
, 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.
History
Alfred Nicholas and his brother George Nicholas became wealthy by producing Australian-made
aspirin sold as ''Aspro'' after
Bayer
Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...
lost their Australian
patent during the
First World War. This wealth enabled them to diversify into nutritional supplements, including Akta-Vite.
Many nutrients were not readily available in synthetic form in the 1940s, with natural ingredients including
vitamin A from
shark livers.
Akta-Vite was exported to
Southeast Asia in the 1950s, and became a well-known brand in
Thailand.
The brand was sold to the
Sara Lee Corporation in 1984, and bought back by the Nicholas family in 2016.
Marketing
The product is recognisable by its orange
tin can.
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://aktavite.com.au/
Chocolate drinks
Drink brands
Products introduced in 1943
Hot drinks
Australian cuisine
Australian brands
Australian companies established in 1943
Drink companies of Australia