KLIM

KLIM, stylized in capital letters, is a powdered-milk brand whose history is closely associated with preservation, portability, and international distribution. The product was developed as dehydrated whole milk for tropical environments, where fresh milk could spoil rapidly because of heat and humidity. By removing moisture and packaging the powder in durable metal cans, the brand offered a practical alternative that could be transported and stored for extended periods. This made KLIM useful not only as a household milk product but also as a field ration for people operating far from reliable refrigeration or supply infrastructure. The brand was being produced by the Merrell-Soule Company of Syracuse, New York, by 1920. Merrell-Soule had developed expertise in milk dehydration and had improved an earlier spray-drying process by using condensed milk as its starting material. The resulting product was marketed for international use and became associated with demanding environments, including tropical regions, scientific expeditions, geological work, military operations, and jungle travel. Its dry form was lightweight, comparatively durable, and capable of remaining usable for a substantial period after removal from its original container if protected from moisture. Borden acquired Merrell-Soule in 1927. Through that transaction, Borden obtained the KLIM brand along with other Merrell-Soule products. Under Borden, KLIM continued to build a worldwide presence and became a familiar item in wartime and relief contexts. During the Second World War, it was included in elements of the United States Army's jungle-ration system. Its packaging also gave it practical value beyond its intended food use: the metal cans could be cut, reshaped, or repurposed as scoops, candle holders, tools, and components of improvised equipment. KLIM's wartime history is especially notable because powdered milk cans appeared in several military and prisoner-of-war settings. The product was distributed by the Red Cross to prisoners held in German camps, where additional calories and durable food supplies were important. At Stalag Luft III, prisoners reportedly reused KLIM tins in the construction of ventilation systems associated with escape tunnels. Accounts of the camp describe the cans being opened, flattened, joined, and adapted into pipes, lamps, funnels, and digging equipment. Similar references place KLIM in the Burma campaign and in postwar relief supplies delivered in and around Shanghai after the Japanese surrender. These associations contributed to the brand's reputation as a dependable emergency and expeditionary food. Advertising helped reinforce the product's international identity. Early advertising used the slogan "Spell it backwards," a reference to the brand name's distinctive reversed spelling and its memorability. The slogan presented KLIM as a simple, recognizable product name while also highlighting its unusual appearance. Nestlé acquired KLIM from Borden in 1998. Under Nestlé ownership, the brand has remained a powdered-milk product sold in international markets. Publicly available reference material does not establish a single current headquarters, detailed corporate management structure, or a complete market-by-market product portfolio. KLIM is best understood as a long-established Nestlé-owned milk-powder brand whose historical importance comes from the combination of food preservation technology, global reach, military and humanitarian use, and highly recognizable packaging.

KLIM emerged from early twentieth-century advances in milk dehydration and was intended to solve a practical problem: fresh milk was difficult to preserve in tropical climates and other places without dependable refrigeration. The product was made as dehydrated whole-milk powder, allowing it to be transported more easily and stored for longer periods than ordinary liquid milk. Its initial appeal therefore rested as much on logistics and preservation as on ordinary retail consumption. By 1920, KLIM was a product of the Merrell-Soule Company in Syracuse, New York. Merrell-Soule's manufacturing background included work on spray-drying technology. The company had improved a process originally associated with Robert Stauf by beginning with condensed milk rather than regular milk. This technical foundation helped produce a dry milk that could be packaged in metal containers and distributed across regions where heat, humidity, distance, or poor transport infrastructure made fresh dairy products unreliable. The brand's early market included tropical users and people traveling or working in remote areas. Scientific explorers, geologists, soldiers, and jungle travelers could carry the powder as a comparatively lightweight ration. Once removed from its container, it still required protection from moisture, but the unopened cans could remain usable for long periods. These characteristics gave KLIM a role in expeditionary and institutional supply chains as well as in household food distribution. In 1927, Borden acquired Merrell-Soule. The acquisition brought KLIM into Borden's portfolio and helped preserve its global commercial identity. During the Second World War, KLIM was incorporated into parts of the United States Army's jungle-ration arrangements. The product also circulated through humanitarian channels. The Red Cross issued it to prisoners of war in German camps to supplement caloric intake, while accounts of the Burma campaign describe troops finding tins in abandoned villages during the retreat from Japanese forces. KLIM's packaging became part of its wartime legacy. The cans were compact, strong, and made from workable metal. Users repurposed them as scoops, candle holders, lamps, funnels, digging implements, and other tools. At Stalag Luft III, prisoners used the cans in improvised ventilation ducting for escape tunnels. Historical accounts describe prisoners removing the ends, flattening or joining the metal, and creating airtight or semi-airtight pipe sections. The brand thus became associated not only with food resilience but also with ingenuity under severe material constraints. After Japan's surrender in August 1945, KLIM was reportedly included in American relief supplies dropped over Shanghai and nearby areas. The product's appearance in postwar relief supplies, together with its military and prisoner-of-war use, reinforced its image as a dependable food that could survive difficult distribution conditions. Its cultural footprint also extended into literature and memoir: J. G. Ballard referred to KLIM among the relief goods encountered in accounts of wartime Shanghai and internment. Advertising gave the name an additional point of distinction. Early advertisements used the phrase "Spell it backwards," drawing attention to the brand's unusual reversed spelling and making the name easier to remember. The line connected the product's identity to its concise, visually distinctive name rather than to a particular national market. In 1998, Nestlé acquired KLIM from Borden. The transaction placed the brand within Nestlé's global dairy and food business. Reference material identifies KLIM as continuing to be sold worldwide under Nestlé ownership, although it does not provide a complete current list of countries, product variants, executives, facilities, or retail channels. The documented history therefore supports viewing KLIM as an active, internationally distributed powdered-milk brand whose principal historical themes are food preservation, portability, wartime provisioning, humanitarian relief, and adaptation to hot climates.

• 1998

  Nestlé acquires KLIM

  [1]Klim (powdered milk)en.wikipedia.org

  Nestlé acquired the brand from Borden, after which KLIM continued as a Nestlé-owned powdered-milk brand sold internationally.

• 1945

  KLIM appears in postwar relief supplies

  [1]Klim (powdered milk)en.wikipedia.org

  Reference accounts place KLIM among American relief supplies delivered over Shanghai and surrounding areas after the Japanese surrender.

• 1940

  KLIM enters wartime ration and relief contexts

  [1]Klim (powdered milk)en.wikipedia.org

  During the Second World War, KLIM was used in elements of the United States Army's jungle ration system and was distributed by the Red Cross to prisoners of war.

• 1927

  Borden acquires Merrell-Soule

  [1]Klim (powdered milk)en.wikipedia.org

  Borden acquired Merrell-Soule and obtained the KLIM brand as part of the transaction.

• 1920

  KLIM is produced by Merrell-Soule

  [1]Klim (powdered milk)en.wikipedia.org

  KLIM is documented as a product of the Merrell-Soule Company of Syracuse, New York, where it was produced as dehydrated whole-milk powder for durable storage and transport.

A durable, portable powdered-milk product associated with long shelf life, tropical and hot-climate use, international availability, and emergency or expeditionary supplies.

• Powdered dairy

  KLIM powdered milk

  KLIM's core product is dehydrated whole-milk powder designed to be reconstituted with water. Its defining characteristics are portability, resistance to rapid spoilage compared with fresh milk, and suitability for storage and distribution in hot or remote environments. Historically it was packaged in sturdy metal cans, which protected the powder from moisture and gave the containers secondary practical uses in military, expeditionary, and prisoner-of-war settings. The available reference material does not establish a complete current range of formulations, sizes, or localized variants.

• Spell it backwards

  International

  Early KLIM advertising used the slogan "Spell it backwards," emphasizing the brand's distinctive reversed spelling and helping make the short name memorable across markets.

  Source

• 1998

  Nestlé purchases KLIM from BordenM&A

  Background

  KLIM was an established powdered-milk brand with a history of international distribution and use in tropical, military, and relief settings.

  Action taken

  Nestlé acquired KLIM from Borden.

  Aftermath

  The brand became part of Nestlé's global food portfolio and continued to be identified as a worldwide powdered-milk brand.

  Source

• 1927

  Borden purchases Merrell-SouleM&A

  Background

  Merrell-Soule was the producer associated with KLIM and had developed milk-drying expertise used in the product's manufacture.

  Action taken

  Borden acquired Merrell-Soule, thereby taking ownership of the KLIM brand.

  Aftermath

  KLIM continued as part of Borden's branded food portfolio and retained an international identity.

  Source

1. 1Klim (powdered milk)en.wikipedia.org