John Cadbury opens a grocer
in Birmingham, England
His vision was to provide beverages as a substitute for alcohol. He sold cocoa and drinking chocolate, which he prepared himself using a pestle and mortar.
Let us share our story with you
OUR HISTORY
The Cadbury family founded their chocolate company in 1824 in Birmingham and later became among the first to sell milk chocolate that everyone could enjoy.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
THE 1800s
It was in 1824 that Quaker businessman John Cadbury opened his first shop, a grocer’s in Birmingham’s Bull Street. It was to be the beginnings of a family business that would make milk chocolate the popular treat it remains in the UK and act as a pioneer of good business practices. By the 1880s the Cadbury family had their own ‘factory in a garden’ in Bournville, to make chocolate while providing a safe and healthy environment for their employees to live and work.
John Cadbury opens a grocer
Chocolate for eating?
Who has heard such a thing?
Until now chocolate was widely available in Britain, but only for drinking. Cadbury created their first ‘eating chocolate’, which wasn’t very palatable by today’s standards.
The Cadbury brothers, Richard
& George, took over their father'S business after he became ill
Cadbury created their first
Easter Egg
The first eggs were made of 'dark' chocolate and filled with sugared almonds. Our modern Easter eggs wouldn’t have been possible without the introduction of a pure cocoa - we have the Cadbury brothers to thank for this.
Bourneville ‘the factory in a garden’ is born.
By 1878, Cadbury had outgrown its factory on Bridge Street in Birmingham. Instead of moving to a larger factory in the city centre, George Cadbury had a vision for an industrial area that wasn’t “squalid or depressing”. He envisioned an area where industrial workers could thrive far away from city pollution, stating “No man ought to be condemned to live in a place where a rose cannot grow.” Thus Bournville was created four miles south of Birmingham, a place where Cadbury could make chocolate and provide a safe and healthy environment for their employees to live and work.
Cadbury receives its first overseas order from Australia
The nation’s favourite chocolate
THE 1900s
The 1900s were a period of innovation and growth for Cadbury, as they set about launching a factory in Australia. Dozens of new products were launched which have become some of the nation’s best loved chocolate brands, enjoyed by families through generations. During two world wars which made chocolate a scarce luxury, Cadbury still played its part by turning over part of its factory to the war effort and supporting workers and soldiers with chocolate in care packages to keep spirits up.
Cadbury Dairy Milk was born in Bournville and shot to the top
of the Cadbury Hall of Fame
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OLD GOLD LAUNCHES
Old Gold, the classic dark chocolate we all know and love, was first released in a distinctive golden box, which became the go-to treat that was synonymous with a night out at the movies. A limited edition Ben-Hur Old Gold box was even created upon the film’s release in 1925.
DISCOVER OLD GOLD
Cadbury merged with J.S. Fry and decided to expand internationally into Australia
Cadbury goes purple
Our iconic purple was first used in 1920. It now even has its own Pantone reference number, 2685C.
THE DISCOVERY OF FLAKE
An observant eye in the Bournville factory noticed the excess chocolate from the moulds was falling in a stream, creating a flaky, folded chocolate. Thus, the birth of Flake.
DISCOVER FLAKE
Cadbury goes cursive
The Cadbury script logo was introduced, inspired by the signature of William Cadbury. This is the swirly logo we recognise today, which replaced the original graphic of a stylised cocoa tree.
Cadbury and Fry, joined by Pascall, create a new Australian company named Cadbury-Fry and Pascall
They opened the very first Cadbury Factory in Australia in the farming town of Claremont. The location was chosen for its proximity to Hobart and plentiful supply of high quality fresh milk.
CHERRY RIPE WAS LAUNCHED
It became an instant hit with its mixture of cherry, coconut and dark chocolate.
DISCOVER CHERRY RIPE
Cadbury creates the ‘glass and a half’ symbol, which is now known across the world as a sign of quality and generosity
When Cadbury Dairy Milk was first made and launched in Australia, it was produced not just with a glass but a generous glass & a half of fresh milk. Today, the equivalent of a glass and a half of full cream milk is used in every 200g of Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate.
Cadbury endeavours to live up to these founding principles of generosity in everything they do. And they believe that this generosity of spirit is as important today as it's ever been. That while the world can often seem self-absorbed, if you look around you'll always see small acts of goodness from one person to another. That’s why we say “There’s a glass & a half in everyone”.
Freddo the Frog is born
Had an employee not suggested that a chocolate
frog might be a more likeable character than a mouse, Freddo the Frog wouldn't have been created. Today the bite-sized chocolate frog is one of Cadbury Australia's best-selling products, with 90 million Freddos eaten in Australia every year.
DISCOVER FREDDO
During the Second World War Cadbury was proud to be the official supplier of chocolate to the Australian Armed Forces.
A symbol of ‘Thank You’ was launched chocolate in the form of Cadbury Roses
These chocolates are one of Cadbury’s most loved products.
DISCOVER ROSES
The 50s brought many new daring ideas and innovation
And one of those was the Crunchie Bar, which was an instant sensation with teenagers.
DISCOVER CRUNCHIE
Cadbury acquired MacRobertson's Chocolate
A well-respected confectionery manufacturer founded in 1880. The move gave Cadbury another major manufacturing base at Ringwood in Melbourne.
The creation of the Cadbury Creme Egg brought smiles to many faces
Its chocolate shell, white fondant cream and yellow cream yolk is a staple on our shelves between January and Easter.
The Timeout chocolate bar was released
Which became the first brand to reach the top five best-selling bars in its first year.
Cadbury creates Cadbury Favourites
A box filled with everyone’s favourite Cadbury treats!
DISCOVER CADBURY FAVOURITES
CADBURY TODAY
THE 2000s
In recent years, Cadbury has introduced new products to suit the tastes of a modern audience. But through it all, our chocolate remains the nation’s favourite, while Bournville is still at the heart of everything we do. Cadbury Dairy Milk, our oldest chocolate brand, is nearly a hundred years old but still made as it always was,with a glass & a half of milk in every 200g block.
Cadbury launches the Boost Bar to critical claim and an advertising campaign that no one can forget. BOOST!
DISCOVER BOOST
The world went bananas for the Cadbury Gorilla advert
The primate creature was seen enthusiastically playing the drums to Phil Collins, 'In the Air Tonight’. Yet another example of Cadbury bringing joy into our living rooms.
A marvellous time to be alive as Cadbury launched their Marvellous Creations
DISCOVER Marvellous Creations
Cadbury introduces the first Cadbury Dairy Milk 3D printer!
Launched in Melbourne, consumers were able to choose intricate shapes like letters, snowflakes or even Australiana icons and see them printed in front of their eyes!
Werribbe egg hunt anniversary
2020 marked the 20th Anniversary of the beloved Cadbury Werribee Easter Egg Hunt, Australia’s largest Easter Egg Hunt that raises much needed funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal. In that time Cadbury along with the 1000s of families have raised $1.6million for the appeal. Due to CoVid19 restrictions, the hunt in 2020 was sadly cancelled, but – along with donations of over 1.5million Easter Eggs donated to first responders and those in need - Cadbury contributed $100,000 to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, to ensure that they are able to continue to deliver support to Australian families.”
Cadbury Breaks A Production Record
Ahead of Cadbury Claremont’s 100th birthday, the factory broke a manufacturing record - producing 58,000 tonnes of chocolate in a single year! This milestone was supported by a $10 million investment into our Tasmanian operations, to make more chocolate for Cadbury lovers here in Australia and around the world!
Cadbury Celebrates 100 Years
We're celebrating a century of making Cadbury in Australia and bringing people together. Using locally sourced milk from our dairy farmers, we started making chocolate in Claremont, Tasmania 100 years ago, and we're proud to see how far Australia has come.
In 2022 we will commemorate 10 amazing decades through special edition centennial packs. The packs look back at the moments that made our history great including stories of progress, challenge and inspiration that built our nation.
