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| 1957 MAGNOLIA CHOCO-VIM "Healthful! Refreshing!" Print Ad, |
To the baby boomers growing up in the late 50s and 60s, a
bottle of CHOCO-VIM was a delicious
chocolate drink that was always a welcome treat. Introduced in 1957, CHOCO-VIM was manufactured by Magnolia
Dairy Products of the San Miguel Brewery.
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| MAGNOLIA CHOCO-VIM EARLY BOTTLES, 1957-1960s |
At only 15 centavos per bottle, CHOCO-VIM could be served hot or cold, and the energizing,
chocolate flavored-drink became an instant favorite in no time all. It was
first sold in tall, softdrink-like bottles, but after a while, shifted to a
shorter, squatter bottles.
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| CHOCO-VIM & MILK-O-VIM |
Many though, preferred to drink the healthful drink when
it is served freezing cold. When kept in the ref, one could actually see the
chocolate goodness settling at the bottom. One quick shake is all it took to
wake up the refreshing, chocolatey goodness that ‘s perfect for snacks or meal
times.
A companion dairy milk-based beverage, MILK-O-VIM, was
also produced, a sort of a sweet malted milk drink, packed in a similar bottle,
but this variant did not catch on.
CHOCO-VIM came
out with a smattering of black and white print ads in the late 50s and 60s, and
enjoyed a decade of success. The ads appeared in top weekly magazines like
Women’s, Graphic, Philippines Free Press and other dailies.
However, new strides in milk technology caused the
phase-out of the bottled product in the late 1960s. Beginning in 1969, CHOCO-VILM was replaced by Magnolia
CHOCOLAIT, an all-new high-grade chocolate milk drink in new glass
bottles.
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| MAGNOLIA CHOC-VIM ADS, 1960s. |
Eventually, bottles were eased out in favor of new
packaging innovations including aseptic cartons, tetra bricks, and doy packs
that caused the introduction of other chocolate milk brands like Daisy, Milo,
Selecta Moo and Chuckie. But CHOCO-VIM
will always be looked at with much fondness, for having started our love affair
with the first ready-to-drink chocolate goodness in a bottle!
SOURCES:
Pe, Roger . “The Choco-Vim Diaries”, Philippine Daily
Inquirer, 30 Sep. 2011, https://business.inquirer.net/22157/choco-vim-the-dairy-diaries
http://flyandflea.blogspot.com/2010/09/142-drinking-vitality-choco-vim.html