John Cadbury opens a grocer
in Birmingham, England
His vision was to provide healthy 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 around the world and act as a pioneer of good business practices. By the 1880s the Cadbury family had their own ‘factory in the 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 fatherS 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.
OUR EASTER RANGE
Bourneville ‘the factory in a garden’ is born.
The factory was surrounded by cottages, meadows and a stream – the Bourn. Workers lived in this utopian village where they were offered lessons in sewing, cooking, art and craft. They even developed their own Cadbury council.
THE 1900s
The 1900s were a period of innovation and growth for Cadbury. 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 supporting workers and soliders 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
DISCOVER MORE
CADBURY PURCHASED 60 GHUZNEE STREET, WELLINGTON AND BUILT ITS OWN DEPOT.
The Dominion newspaper described the new building as “a handsome four-story business warehouse, which is the first American, riveted, steel-framed, ferro-concrete structure of its kind in New Zealand".
NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER, SIR JOSEPH WARD (PM 1906-1912 & 1928-1930) VISITED BOURNVILLE AND WAS A GUEST OF MR AND MRS EDWARD CADBURY
PHOTOGRAPHS OF CADBURY BROS NEW ZEALAND REPRESENTATIVES THAT WERE PUBLISHED IN THE PARENT COMPANY MAGAZINE.
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 goes purple
Our iconic purple was first used in 1920. It now even has its own Pantone reference number, 2685 C.
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.
CADBURYS AND FRYS (NEW ZEALAND) LIMITED (WHICH WAS FORMED IN 1919) OFFERED THE CITY COUNCIL OF EACH OF THE FOUR CENTRES OF NEW ZEALAND HALf A TON OF COCOA FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE POOR AND NEEDY.
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, it was produced with not just a glass, but the equivalent of a generous glass and a half of full cream milk in every 200g - and still is today. Cadbury endeavours to live up to these founding principles of generosity in everything they do and believes that this generosity of spirit is as important today as it's ever been. 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 and a half in everyone".
THE FIRST BLOCKS OF CADBURY DAIRY MILK CHOCOLATE MADE AT DUNEDIN HIT THE SHELVES
The company purchased, from Union Airways, a Tiger Moth aeroplane, ZK-ANF. The “Chocolate Plane,” as it came to be known, provided transport for senior staff, took factory workers for a spin, and gave rides to customers.
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR CADBURY WAS PROUD TO BE THE OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OF CHOCOLATE TO THE NEW ZEALAND ARMED FORCES
In 1941, Cadbury launched a monthly newsletter The Chocolate Soldier to keep servicemen from the company who were sent overseas informed about the company and their colleagues in New Zealand and abroad.
MANY BELOVED PRODUCTS LAUNCHED DURING THIS TIME PERIOD INCLUDING THE CLASSIC JAFFA, CADBURY ROSES, CARAMELLO, BUZZ BAR, PINEAPPLE LUMPS, PINKY, CRUNCHIE, MORO, CADBURY NUT SELECTION AND PERPPERMINT CREMES, TOP DECK, CADBURY FAVOURITES AND MORE!
CADBURY TODAY
THE 2000s
In recent years, Cadbury has introduced new products to suit the tastes of a modern audience. Cadbury Dairy Milk, our oldest chocolate brand, is nearly a hundred years old but is still made as it always was with the equivalent of a glass & a half full cream milk in every 200g.
HOW DO YOU IMPROVE ON PERFECTION?
Cadbury took a shot and came up with Moro Gold. That same year independent reports suggested that smiling in New Zealand reached an all-time high.
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.
WHY WAS 2012 SUCH A MARVELLOUS YEAR?
We saw the introduction of Marvellous Creations, and with it came Peanut Toffee Cookie, Jelly Crunchie Bits, and Jelly Popping Candy Beanies. Marvellous!
CADBURY UNITES WITH MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL.
This placed Cadbury alongside other brands like Belvita, Ritz, Oreo and The Natural Confectionary Company.
CADBURY GAINED A LOAD OF NEW FRIENDS IN 2014 - THE FLAVOUR FRIENDS.
These little guys became the face of New Zealand’s favourite chocolate.
OUR BUSINESS HAS GONE THROUGH CONSIDERABLE CHANGE OVER THE YEARS
Some of those changes have led to difficult decisions, including the closing of manufacturing in Dunedin. We took a lot of time to consult our team to make sure we had considered everything and listened to what people had to say. Ultimately deciding to close the factory came down to a range of issues affecting the production that weren’t easily solved.
CADBURY UNVEILED A FRESH NEW LOOK FOR THE ICONIC IDENTITIES OF BOTH CADBURY AND CADBURY DAIRY MILK
Living true to the progressive vision of the founder, John Cadbury, the new identity is intended to be a celebration of the brand’s inherent generous spirit whilst incorporating a distinctive and modern twist.
The new elevated packaging includes a redrawn wordmark, new iconography and typography, making the look and feel more natural, authentic, and high quality. The revitalisation of the Cadbury wordmark drew inspiration from the hand of founder John Cadbury himself, to create a beautifully crafted signature with a more contemporary feel.
