Cadburys is a brand known across the globe for its range of confectionery, but it’s hard to believe that the global brand started as a small, family-run business by just one man.
The Cadbury’s story started back in 1824 when John Cadbury opened a grocer’s shop in Ball Street, Birmingham, selling the likes of tea, coffee and drinking chocolate. Back in those days, people viewed drinking chocolate as a tastier and nourishing alternative to alcohol and as a result, the product soared in popularity over the next few years. By 1842, John was retailing over 30 different types of drinking chocolate which in turn, became his trademark product.
In the next few years, the company grew dramatically which encouraged John to ask his brother Benjamin to join forces and ‘The Cadbury Brothers’. In 1847, the duo moved the business to a larger premise in Bridge Street. Sadly, John’s health deteriorated quite suddenly and decided to pass over the business to his sons, George and Richard.
In 1866, George and Richard launched a brand-new product; ‘Cadbury Cocoa Essence’, which brought the company well-deserved attention and by 1875, it had launched its very first Cadbury Easter egg. By the end of the century, the brothers had also created the brand’s very first chocolate bar – but you may be surprised to know that Cadburys didn’t actually invent it. It was in fact, the original creation of a Swiss manufacturer named Daniel Peter.
As the company began to outgrow the current premises, the brothers decided it was time to find a new location that was in close proximity to the railway and canal for supplies and provided a much cleaner setting for workers. They purchased an area of land and named it ‘Bournville’ and here, their new factory was built with a surrounding model village.
1905 was a breakthrough year for the confectionary company – the very first dairy milk chocolate bar was invented, which has since become the brand’s most popular product of all-tine. The brand later developed other famous products including the likes of Bournville Chocolate in 1908 and Flake in 1920.
In 1939, just before the outbreak of the second world war, the factory was visited by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth as part of their tour to Birmingham. However, the war years proved difficult for the confectionery company, which was forced to concentrate on products that could still be produced despite rationing. In 1941, Cadbury’s were forced to remove their famous Dairy Milk chocolate bar from stores, following the government’s ban of cows milk. Instead, the company produced an alternative of their famous chocolate bar, by using dried semi-skimmed milk powder.
In 1955, the very first Cadbury’s ad was shown on TV which introduced the brand to a nationwide audience and in 1969, the company collaborated with Swiss beverage brand, Schweppes and was renamed Cadbury Schweppes. After almost four decades, this collaboration came to an end in 2008.
To this day, Cadburys remains one of the world’s most famous confectionary brands and you can buy their products in bulk from our online store today. Take a browse here.
