At first glance, you wouldn't think the small, sleepy village of Smithtown on the New South Wales Mid North Coast is home to a multi-million-dollar factory.
But it has been that way for a century.
Nestled on the banks of the Macleay River, this is the home of Milo, the chocolate malt powder drink that for many Australians, is the taste of their childhood.
As the factory celebrates its centenary, there are very few families among Smithtown's population of 600 who don't have a personal connection to it.
It is one of the region's largest employers, with more than 200 workers, most of them locals, pumping out 200,000 cans a day — that's 13,000 tonnes a year — of Milo for the world market.
Of the cohort, Janelle Cook believes she has the best job in the house.
Ms Cook is the consumer quality coordinator at the factory, ensuring every batch of coffee, flavoured milk and Milo meets the standard.
In other words, she gets paid to taste test a variety of Nestle products.
"Overcooked, undercooked, over-processed, under-processed, too much sugar, not enough sugar … We are looking for any slight variation to the process," Ms Cook said.
'Four generations of workers'
On the other side of the factory, Jeffery Rowe operates a manufacturing machine that helps turn malt into Milo.
Mr Rowe was born and bred in Smithtown and has been working at the Nestle factory for more than 40 years.
"It's great I have my family here … I can imagine it's very rare."
Mr Rowe started as an apprentice engineer at the factory in 1978 when things looked very different.
"It's a massive workforce compared to when I first started … With the new line down the back, it's increased significantly," Mr Rowe said.
The Rowe family is not unique in its loyalty to the factory; working there has become a tradition for many local families.
Roughly 15-20 per cent of the workforce has more than one member of their family onsite.
"It's a great thing that fathers and mothers are saying you should come and work at Smithtown and join us," factory manager Mathew Oram said.
More than 100 members of the current workforce have been working at the factory for more than 25 years.
A rich history
The Smithtown site actually started as a milk processing plant in 1896.
"The site is in fact over 100 years old … But Nestle took ownership back in 1921," Mr Oram said.
It has since become known as the first site to produce Milo.
Created by Australian chemist and food researcher Thomas Mayne during the Depression, the malty favourite was initially intended to help children receive enough nutrients from their daily diet.
In 1934, the product was officially launched at the Sydney Royal Easter Show and shortly after, the Smithtown factory began mass production.
"We're very proud that Milo was first developed here by one of the company's chemists, Thomas Mayne," Mr Oram said.
"And from here it's spread across the world, particularly into South-East Asia who absolutely love the product."
More than 13,000 tonnes of Milo a year is made in the Smithtown factory, which equates to 20 cups made every second for Australia and New Zealand.
Milo is the most popular nourishing chocolate malt powder additive for milk drinks.
There are now four varieties of Milo; a high protein Milo, a plant-based Milo, reduced sugar Milo and the trusty original.
Mr Oram says while a century may have passed, the original Milo recipe has remained almost exactly same.
"The only real key difference is the vitamin and mineral additions, just to restrengthen the fortification of the product that it was originally designed to be."
Heading for a sustainable future
By 2025, Nestle is aiming for all product packaging to either be recyclable or reusable, and all factories to be run by green energy sources.
Mr Oram said already more than 80 per cent of the energy that drives the Smithtown factory is renewable.
The community has also jumped on board, with many purchasing the by-product of the malt-extract-making process that would normally go to waste.
"We call them spent grains — the husks and the holes from the grains — and they go back to feed the local cows to help the local dairy industry," Mr Oram said.
Nestle has invested close to $80 million in the factory over the past 10 years to upgrade the site and help meet its sustainable future goals.
One of the upgrades to the facility includes a $20 million-dollar investment to update 70-year-old machinery.
100 years down, plenty to go
Mr Oram said Nestle's investment in the factory showed it was there to stay.
"You don't invest that sort of money into a factory and then plan to relocate it," he said.
While it's not the most common spot for a high-production plant, the factory has become synonymous with the Smithtown community and Nestle has no intention of breaking that bond.
"We want to continue to sponsor local sporting teams and schools … [and keep funding] community projects to support locals," Mr Oram said.
