Who Invented Strawberry Milk? (Invention Timeline Explained)

The pinkest offering on the breakfast table, strawberry milk, has been loved especially by children. It has an impression of a refreshing, light, and creamy flavor that magically makes mornings brighter. This beverage is scattered in supermarket stores, whether powder or syrup and is designed to be added to milk for a tastier dairy drink.

In today’s time, the strawberry flavor is employed in almost every dairy and pastry product. Milk has also been a popular dairy product and a part of a healthy diet. Fusing the two ingredients seems to make a perfect combination. But who could have invented this pink delight?

Who invented strawberry milk?

The inventor of strawberry milk is the Swiss company Nestlé which introduced the brand Nesquik and a strawberry version of Nestle Quik chocolate-flavored milk.

Strawberry milk key contributors

• Hans Sloane
  The inventor of the first flavored milk

  Jamaica, Hans Sloane from Ireland created the first ever chocolate milk. This invention paved the way for producing flavored milk, including strawberries.

• Nestlé
  Company that introduced strawberry-flavored milk to the market

  The Swiss company Nestlé created the Nesquik brand, initially launched as a chocolate-flavored milk drink mix. After several years, they innovated and introduced a strawberry version of its flavored powder.
• D.K. Metcalf
  A prominent proponent of strawberry milk

  Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf is one of the commercial advertisers of the brand Nesquik. Way before that, he is known to have maintained 1.9% body fat at Ole Miss while drinking the strawberry-flavored beverage.As he stated in a tweet, “Strawberry Nesquik® has always been a go-to whenever I need to fuel up for the next practice, workout, or any obstacle in my way. As a professional football player, I’ll be reaching for a bottle to #KeepOnChuggin as I start this next chapter.”He also quaffed strawberry milk after running a 4.33 at the NFL combine. He had strawberries on his draft day jacket and wore a Nesquik medallion.

• Binggrae
  A Korean company that introduced banana-flavored milk

  In the 1970s, South Korea had a seemingly love affair with flavored milk. It started with the government encouraging their citizens to increase milk intake since it was not widely consumed then. Binggrae launched milk on the market with a twist of making it taste like bananas, which unexpectedly created a new flagship product in the country’s food culture.While banana is a popular flavor today, it paved the way for companies to experiment with more flavors to make milk more consumable by appealing to taste buds.

• Gabrielle Hamilton
  She transformed the regular strawberry milk into gourmet.

  Gabrielle Hamilton has stepped up the game from the regular strawberry milk into something “far more gourmet.” Her recipe includes fresh strawberries instead of artificial flavoring. Besides sugar and dairy, the improved formula has one special ingredient: buttermilk.The buttermilk was mixed with strawberries and milk. The mixture is sat overnight, leaving a creamy, fruity, silky blend in the morning.

When was strawberry milk invented?

When strawberry milk was first discovered is unknown. But, it is believed to have existed since the late 1950s. In 1968, strawberry milk was introduced to the market by Nestle.

A brief history of strawberry milk

The exact origin of strawberry milk is unaccounted for. However, it is believed that the first incarnations were in the late 1950s when berries were rinsed in milk. Centuries before that, however, flavored milk was already discovered.

The Natural History Museum in Britain acknowledges that the credit for the first flavored milk goes to the Irish botanist Sir Hans Sloane for inventing chocolate milk in the early 1700s. The Jamaican locals gave Sloane cocoa to drink, which he mixed with milk, creating the popular beverage. This invention paved the way to experiment with different milk flavors by combining additional ingredients like fruits.

In 1948, a Swiss company called Nestlé introduced the brand Nesquik. They launched Nestle Quik, a quick drink mix for chocolate-flavored milk. The first recorded introduction of strawberry milk in the market was in 1968 when the company released their strawberry version of the Nesquik powder in the United States.

Strawberry milk timeline

1. 1950s
   First recorded incarnations of strawberry milk

   The earliest strawberry milk was a strawberry rinsed in milk.
2. 1700s
   Discovery of flavored milk

   While in Jamaica, Hans Sloane invented chocolate-flavored milk by combining cocoa and milk.

3. 1948
   Nestle’s launch of Nestle Quik

   Nestle introduced its chocolate mix for chocolate-flavored milk to the market.

4. 1968
   Nestle’s launch of the strawberry version of Nestle Quik

   Nestle stepped up the brand by introducing a new flavor to Nesquik, making a strawberry milk drink.
5. 1973
   Nestle’s launch of Quik Bunny endorsing strawberry milk

   Nestle introduced Quik Bunny. This cartoon character first appeared on their strawberry products, in a TV commercial in 1973, with the voice of Barry Gordon.

Where was strawberry milk invented?

The Swiss company Nestle’s Nesquik strawberry powdered drink mix was launched in the United States.

Why do people love strawberry milk?

• The appearance of strawberry milk is incredibly tempting.

  Strawberry milk has a creamy pink color that appeals to the sight of consumers, especially children. The color suggests delicacy and fun. It encourages children to drink milk that was hardly consumed before. The wonders of the pink color in marketing can be seen in its wide application in the food industry.  

• Strawberries plus milk give a whole lot of nutrients combined.

  Strawberry milk offers several vitamins and minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, retinol, and carotene.Strawberries are recognized to contain high levels of antioxidants and bioactive compounds that lower blood pressure. They are suitable for the heart and help prevent cancer. Milk, in addition, is a good source of calcium and protein. It minimizes chronic disease risks like childhood obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and stroke.

• Flavored milk is an athlete’s favorite refueling drink after a workout.

  Flavored milk like strawberry milk becomes a post-exercise rehydration drink for athletes. Aside from the protein supply from plain milk to build muscles, the additional carbohydrates from sugar are helpful to meet the energy needs of the body during recovery. Flavored milk can also improve performance in succeeding exercise routines. 

Strawberry milk by the numbers

• 59In his food education book “Chew On This,” published in 2006, Eric Schlosser claimed that the strawberry milk of McDonald’s Corporation chain contains 59 ingredients. However, most of these ingredients are artificial additives, but strawberry fruit is not on its list.
• 2 to 3The daily recommended dairy for children’s balanced diet is 2 to 3 cups, and the consumption of strawberry milk helps children meet that.
• 211According to the USDA Food and nutrient database, every serving of 248 g of whole strawberry milk contains 211 calories, along with its fat, protein, carbohydrate, and vitamin content.
• 19On average, the flavored milk consumption of a single person in Western Australia is 19 liters or 5.0 U.S. gallons. In fact, a Sunday Times article acknowledged Western Australia with the title “flavored milk capital of Australia.” Additionally, South Australia is reported as the only place where sales of flavored milk exceeded those of cola. 
• 80According to the School Nutrition Association, 80% of school districts in the United States have flavored milk on their cafeteria menus.

Five facts about strawberry milk

• Korean café version of strawberry milk

  South Korean cafes have a popular and well-loved version of strawberry milk. The syrup made from fresh strawberries is combined with milk and served chilled.

• Strawberry Quik is featured in several songs

  Strawberry has not only been a milk flavor but also adds flavor to musical lyrics. Singer “Weird Al” Yankovic mentions the strawberry milk brand in the song “Your Horoscope For Today.” The Strawberry Quik found its way to the rap group House of Pain’s song “Shamrocks and Shenanigans.”
• Strawberry milk is a second-placer to chocolate milk

  There has been a debate about the better flavor of milk between chocolate and strawberry. Though this could be subjective to the consumer, chocolate milk has always been more popular than strawberry milk. Several American cafeterias claim that chocolate milk is the first out of stock. In contrast, strawberry milk appears to be picked last.

• Strawberry Quik found its way on television

  In one of the fifth-season episodes of the TV series “The Big Bang Theory,” it is mentioned that Strawberry Quik is among the favorite pink fluids of Dr. Sheldon Cooper during his date with Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler.

• Strawberry milk is not only a beverage but a term in the breastfeeding world

  The term strawberry milk, besides a pink drink, is used in the lactating world to describe the occurrence when blood from a mother’s nipples gets into the breast milk being delivered.

Strawberry milk invention FAQs

• How much sugar is in strawberry milk?

  Flavored milk has a bit more sugar than plain milk. But, the additional sugar only accounts for 3-4% of the sugar in the diet of children ages 2-18. In comparison, other sweetened drinks like soda account for up to 40%.

• How is strawberry milk made?

  People make their strawberry milk with fresh strawberries, strawberry powder, or strawberry-flavored syrup and then mixed with milk. The sweetened milk undergoes pasteurization and is treated with ultra-high-temperature (UHT), making its shelf-life longer than plain milk without refrigeration.

• Does strawberry milk come from red cows?

  No. Though there have been assumptions, including chocolate milk from brown-colored cows and traditional white milk from black and white cows, they are false. No milk is naturally brown or pink. Regardless of what color the cow is, it produces white-colored milk. The flavored milk’s color only appears when flavorings, ingredients, and food coloring are added.