The Japanese Have Been Going Crazy For MILO After Discovering It Last Year
In December last year, Japan suspended the sales of MILO after running out of stock. The drink underwent a 700% surge in demand.
Remember the first time you tasted MILO? I don't either.
But for most people in Japan, the chocolate malt drink is something completely new to them.
On Saturday, 6 March, a tweet revealing the opening of a MILO kiosk at Machida station in Tokyo went viral on Twitter
The tweet by @TonanLeopard garnered over 158,000 likes and 45,800 retweets within just two days.
In the replies, some Malaysian Twitter users can be spotted sharing how they drink MILO.
According to the photo TonanLeopard shared, a cup of original Nestlé MILO is priced at JPY200 (approximately RM7.55).
The kiosk also sells flavoured MILO drinks, such as banana or kiwi mixed with pineapple, at JPY300 (approximately RM11.30) per cup. Interestingly, dalgona coffee is cheaper than MILO. It costs JPY180 (approximately RM6.80) per cup.
Based on the pricing, it is safe to say that MILO is more premium than a crafted coffee drink in Japan.
The reason why the opening of the MILO kiosk at the train station has received such a big reaction from the Japanese is because the country has had zero supply of MILO since December last year
Since July 2020, there has been a 700% surge in demand for MILO after several viral tweets promoted its health benefits, reported Malay Mail.
Some Twitter users claimed the drink has helped them feel less fatigued, improve bladder health, and control hunger pangs, among other things.
On 10 December 2020, TimeOut Tokyo reported that MILO officially ran out of stock nationwide. Nestlé Japan was pushed into procuring raw materials from Singapore in order to meet the demand.
The sale of MILO was completely suspended from then until 1 March this year.
In other words, the Japanese have been deprived of MILO for almost three months.
Fortunately, the supply was resumed as scheduled this month
The Japanese can now get 240g bags and five-stick packs of MILO in most places, while the 700g bags are only available in some stores, reported TimeOut Tokyo.
The country does not have the 1.5kg bags of MILO that Malaysians and other Southeast Asians are familiar with.
The beverage stand in Machida station will only be serving from 6 March to 30 April. Similarly, Nescafé Harajuku in Shibuya will also be serving MILO, but for a limited time only.
It's never too late to discover MILO. We are glad that you love it as much as we do, Japan!
