Vitasoy in Hong Kong

Do you know that the Vitasoy International Holdings Limited (維他奶國際集團有限公司) is one of the largest non-carbonated beverage sellers in Hong Kong?

The company was originally called “Hong Kong Soya Bean Products, Co., Ltd.” and was founded in 1940s by Dr. Lo Kwee Seong. Inspired by a talk about how beans are full of proteins and realizing many Chinese are lactose intolerance, Dr. Lo came up with an idea to formulate a drink which is protein-rich and cheaper than fresh milk. He believed that soymilk could replace fresh milk and thus Vitasoy (維他奶) was born.

                                                                          

However, Vitasoy’s sale wasn’t good in the beginning, and was mainly delivered to people’s home with bicycles. Later, Dr. Lo adopted a sterilization technology so that the soymilk could be stored without refrigeration. This greatly increased the duration of the drink and its sale started to skyrocket.

When Vitasoy first came out, it was portrayed as a healthy drink, with the slogan of 點只汽水咁簡單 (“It’s more than just a soft drink”). Therefore, it was (well, still is) pretty popular among students, as the teachers and parents would not oppose to it. Queuing in front of the snack kiosks, waiting to buy that bottle of soymilk, and feeling satisfied simply because of the sweetness it provided...this should be childhood memory to lots of Hongkongers.

The brand now offers many flavors and choices, like chocolate soymilk, malted soya drink, low-sugar soymilk, sesame soymilk and even weird one like oat-flavored, or fruit juices and teas if you don’t like soymilk. Still, the most classic one would always be the original flavor. The taste has always been the same: sugar, salt, seasonings, and more importantly, the savor we Hongkongers grow up with.

Hmm…must be the preservatives…