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If you were to take a wild guess where the Maggi brand originated from, most Singaporeans would probably say "Malaysia" or somewhere in Asia, given its popularity in this part of the world.

Well, Maggi was originally from...

Switzerland.

Yes, Maggi came out of Europe, from the same country that bottles water from the Alps.

@namorsnosepiercing Don’t talk to me rn I’m traumatised #desi #tamil #maggi #desitiktok #magginoodles #traumatok ♬ original sound - Taylor Dean

And here's a little history about how it has since expanded to this part of the world and become so rooted here that people assume it was all along an Asian brand.

History of Maggi

According to Nestle's website, the brand was founded in 1884 by a Swiss entrepreneur, Julius Maggi.

Maggi's vision at that time was to make good-tasting and nutritious food accessible to busy, working families.

With this in mind, he created powdered pea and bean soup for busy women who worked in factories and who did not have time to prepare healthy meals.

The invention worked, as the soup was nutritious enough and easy to prepare, becoming Maggi's first official product.

Following that, Maggi released some of the world's first-ever instant soups and then Maggi's famous seasoning, which was a type of concentrated liquid bouillon that enhanced and improved the flavour of foods.

This was done over two years.

International expansion

Maggi then began to craft flavours that would appeal to the increasingly sophisticated Victorian palate.

Some of the flavours included curry and mock-turtle instant soups and truffle-flavoured Maggi seasonings.

These products were an instant success and Maggi began to expand internationally.

By 1888, Maggi had branches or affiliates in Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The brand was acquired by Nestle in 1947.

Ventured into Singapore

Maggi entered Singapore in the 1960s.

The Nestle factory established in Jurong produced Maggi tomato and chilli sauces in 1973, according to The Ramen Eater.

In 1975, it began to produce Maggi instant noodles to meet consumers' need for quick and convenient light meals.

Maggi prided itself as having noodles that can cook in just two minutes -- a marketing angle that was employed in India to great effect, as Maggi noodles was embraced by middle class women who found the product liberating, as they had to deal with domestic life and their professional careers.

The brand's slogan, "Fast to cook, good to eat", is still a catchphrase some in Singapore remember.

In 1980, Nestle opened its first research and development centre in Asia in Singapore.

Nestle then continued to create innovative products, such as porridge quick meals, as well as culinary solutions, such as stocks cubes, liquid bouillon.

Healthier options of these latter products include those that have no added MSG and Healthier Choice symbol products.

However, Maggi Singapore has its own range of noodles that are available only within Singapore.

Maggi in Asia has other range of noodles to suit respective local tastes.

Maggi noodles are currently manufactured in the Nestle factory located in Malaysia.

The factory is ISO certified and halal certified.

Maggi Mee is the first instant noodle product in Malaysia in 1971.

In India, it has long been the number one instant noodles brand with the largest market share there.

What else is from Switzerland?

Top photo via Nestle website