A history of Cadbury’s sweet success
? 1824 John Cadbury, the son of Richard Cadbury, opens his shop at 93 Bull Street, then a fashionable part of Birmingham. Apart from selling tea and coffee, John Cadbury sells hops, mustard and a new sideline — cocoa and drinking chocolate, which he prepares himself using a mortar and pestle.
? 1866 The Cadbury brothers introduce a new cocoa process to produce a much more palatable Cocoa Essence — the forerunner of the cocoa we know today. The plentiful supply of cocoa butter remaining after the cocoa was pressed makes it possible to produce a wide variety of new kinds of eating chocolate.
? 1897 Cadbury manufactures its first milk chocolate.
? 1904 A new recipe is perfected by George Cadbury Junior for milk chocolate.
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? 1905 Cadbury launch Dairy Milk onto the market — a new milk chocolate that contains far more milk than anything previously tasted.
? 1913 Dairy Milk becomes Cadbury’s best-selling line.
? 1915 Cadbury Milk Tray is introduced.
? 1920 Cadbury Flake is introduced.
? 1923 Cream filled eggs, the forerunner of Cadbury’s Creme Egg, were introduced.
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? Mid-1920’s Cadbury Dairy Milk gains its status as the brand leader in the UK, a position that it has enjoyed ever since.
? 1928 Fruit and Nut introduced as a variation of Dairy Milk and Cadbury introduce the “glass and a half” advertising slogan.
? 1929 Crunchie is launched on January 1.
? 1933 Cadbury adds WholeNut to the Dairy Milk family.
? 1938 Cadbury Roses are launched.
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? 1956 Cadbury supply Roses for a Royal tour of East Africa.
? 1958 Picnic is launched.
? 1960s Chocolate Eclairs are launched by London confectioner James Pascall.
? 1971 Halls joins the Adams family and Cadbury Creme Egg as we know it today is launched. Pascalls is bought by Cadbury, with Eclairs becoming the second largest brand in the company (at that time).
? 1974 Cadbury Eclairs are launched nationally in the UK.
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? 1976 Cadbury Caramel is launched.
? 1979 The advertising idea of “say thank you with Cadbury Roses” is introduced.
? 1980-96 Cadbury Eclairs becomes an international brand.
? 1985 Cadbury Creme Egg launches the “How do you eat yours?” campaign.
? 1987 Cadbury Twirl is launched and Cadbury Roses becomes the leading brand in the twist-wrap market.
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? 1998 Cadbury Dairy Milk is relaunched in the UK.
? 1999 Cadbury Eclairs are relaunched as Cadbury Choclairs in key markets.
? 2000 Cadbury Snowflake is launched.
? 2005 Cadbury Schweppes acquires Green & Black’s, the UK premium chocolate brand.
? 2010 Company accepts takeover bid from US food giant Kraft.
Source: Cadbury plc