In celebration of MILO® Singapore’s 75th anniversary, MILO Singapore opened up their Nestlé Singapore Research & Development Centre to the media. This is the first time they have invited the media to tour their office and of course, I was excited to be there.
They are located in the industrial area near Boon Lay MRT station and right behind the centre is Nestlé Jurong Factory where MILO® is produced.
Do note that their research and development centre is not open to the public. I am not sure if they would open up their office in future but at the very least, you can get to visit MILO® Singapore office ‘virtually’ through this article.
Nestlé Singapore also conduct R&D on other products besides MILO®. For this media-only visit, they focus on MILO® only.
Exploring the office
You will be greeted by this gigantic MILO® can, near the spiral staircase, in the middle of their office.
They brought us to the conference room which has a pantry. And you would have bet that their pantry is filled with all variants of MILO®. I guess the staff here literally has an unlimited MILO® beverage to drink all day.
I could not help but to ask their staff about MILO®’s latest product – MILO® Van. Is it really formulated after the MILO® dispense from the MILO® Van which seems alot nicer than the the original MILO? Maybe they added the perfect ratio of MILO® powder to water? What’s the secret? Read on to find out!
We were also treated with MILO® snacks like their MILO® sandwich cookie biscuits and snack bar. I did not even know that there was a MILO® snack bar.
Briefing before the tour
We had a safety briefing before the media tour starts. We get to check out the innovation lab and try out some MILO® at the tasting room.
MILO®’s 75th anniversary
MILO® was first sold in Singapore in the 1950s and locally produced since 1984. Most of us grew up drinking MILO® as a kid. It is a common chocolate malt beverage which can be found in almost every local household. You can say that it is our staple energy drink.
We soon were able to find out that MILO® is more than just a chocolate malt drink.
MILO® Innovation Room
We put on laboratory coat, shoes, face mask and ear plugs before we head into the innovation lab. Over here, we find out more about how MILO® is actually produced.
How MILO® is made
MILO® is actually made of essentially 3 main ingredients: malt barley, milk and cocoa. Essential vitamins and minerals are added into the formula. We got to taste the malt barley which is barley that has undergone the malting process. High-quality barley is heated using proprietary techniques to collect the special malt.
The barley were first steeped in water, allowed to germinate, and then dried. This process converts starches to sugars. The malt barley itself is like a sugary syrup. I was expecting it to taste super sweet but actually the malt barley has a strong malty taste with a mild sweet aftertaste. It does not taste as sugary or sweet like honey.
They would mix the malt barley, milk and cocoa to form a paste. Then they would spread this paste thinly on a tray and baked the mixture into wafers. The malt barley tends to solidify quickly at room temperature so the paste needs to be spreaded quickly on the tray. We had a hands-on session where we spread the mixture onto the tray. It wasn’t easy!
Once the mixture is baked, it looks exactly like biscuit wafers. We even had a taste of these MILO® wafers in the lab and they were chocolatey, crunchy and delicious. The caramelisation of the MILO® mixture in the oven is a crucial step as it is what gives MILO® that characteristic malty flavour.
They would later crunch the wafers into MILO powder. And that’s how MILO® is produced.
Tasting Room
Over here, we get to speak to professional taste panellists who have been with MILO® Singapore for years.
We get to learn that the taste of the MILO® found in Singapore is customise suit our local palate. The MILO® formula for each country would differ slightly in order to customise to the tastebuds of the locals. The primary difference across the markets can be largely attributed to the difference in ratio of the main ingredients: malted barley, milk and cocoa.
Singapore’s MILO® recipes are taste-tested and approved by Singaporean trained taste panelists. Consumer trials are also organised with Singaporeans of diverse backgrounds. Each product is rigorously tested with local consumers to ensure that they consistently deliver a winning taste that truly connects with the local palate.
For instance, Singaporeans prefer MILO® with a signature malt note so the MILO® found here has a distinct malty taste while the MILO® found in Australia has a more chocolatey flavour as they prefer a more chocolatey note.
We tried the MILO® Original, MILO® Van and MILO® Gao Siew Dai. For me, the MILO® has to taste slightly sweet – otherwise it isn’t MILO® so I personally prefer the MILO® Original.
How to make MILO® Van
According to MILO® Singapore, MILO®Van Sachets’ powder is the same recipe as used in the iconic MILO® Van. It is formulated to dissolve easily in cold water. MILO® Van’s MILO® is also made fresh and cold directly from the Nestlé Jurong Factory.
And the best way to prepare MILO® Van is actually to shake and mix the formula with cold water in a shaker. The MILO® staff actually demonstrated to us and shake the MILO® mixture on the spot for us to try. The shaking helps introduce bubbles into the drink and it makes it more frothy and smooth. I find that the malty notes actually comes out stronger when shaken. But does it taste like the MILO® from the MILO® van? It still hits different. And there’s nothing quite like the MILO® from the MILO® Van.
That’s something really special about the MILO® from the van. Maybe it is because the van uses fresh MILO® powder produced in the factory?
An enriching sneak peak of what goes behind-the-scenes at MILO® Singapore
This is indeed a rare opportunity to be visiting Nestlé Singapore Research & Development Centre and finding out how MILO® is actually produced. Such visits are educational and engaging. Hopefully, they will conduct such tours in the near future.
Read more of our food adventures here!
