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Cadbury's Bournville Factory

mikejee said:
Photograph of visitors from Africa being shown a cocoa press in the old cocoa block, probably in the 1950s
I think the person in the dark suit is probably either Paul or Lawrence Cadbury

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I broke my leg playing rugby way back in the early part of 1971. I was taken to the 'casualty' of the old Accident Hospital in Bath Row and about 10 minutes later, one of the Cadburys was brought in who had broken his collar bone after he fell from his horse fox hunting. We both ended up in adjacent beds on one of the old style Nightingale wards, and he was discharged after a couple of days. But quite a number of older black nurses popped in to see him explaining how some of their family and relatives worked on plantations/farms supplying Cadburys. It seems that Cadburys had done all in their power over the years to make sure no slavery or child labour was involved, and ensured that good wages got paid. Sadly, it seems illegal child labour has now returned and many are treated appallingly. The original Cadbury brothers would be turning in their graves if they knew this.
 
And also turning in their grave about the sale to Kraft, it happening just after the American chief executive had come back from a holiday in the Us - what a coincidence. When I was in Ghana in the 1970s many local people kept coming up to me to ask when Cadbury were coming back. Before the Ghanaian government had taken over the cocoa buying operation a few years before, it had been run by the firm, who always gacve what was considered a fair price. The government operation at the time first took a proportion of the money obtained "for development purposes", before paying out what were much lower prices for the product.
 
mikejee said:
And also turning in their grave about the sale to Kraft, it happening just after the American chief executive had come back from a holiday in the Us - what a coincidence. When I was in Ghana in the 1970s many local people kept coming up to me to ask when Cadbury were coming back. Before the Ghanaian government had taken over the cocoa buying operation a few years before, it had been run by the firm, who always gacve what was considered a fair price. The government operation at the time first took a proportion of the money obtained "for development purposes", before paying out what were much lower prices for the product.
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Hi mikejee, having read a bit about the plantations and farms, not only in Africa but other countries where the beans are grown, it seems as though there are terrible malpractices everywhere. Perhaps 'The Fairtrade Organisation' could get involved and stamp out awful exploitation.
 
Nowadays I don't think the malpractices are worse for cocoa than for many other products that are produced in the third world, though the same probably did not apply around 1900. The fairtrade organisation did involve itself in cocoa and Cadburys Dairy milk was at one time given the fairtrade logo though I think there have been some changes since then which I am not really up to date with
 
That would be very welcome. Considering that the occupying forces had taken most food in their retreat to Germany. It made a change from beet, daffodil bulbs and other plants.
 
Oops just looked up Roses and they are/were Cadbury’s. For some reason I thought they were Rowntrees ! Viv..
 
Judging by post #543 and #554, a lot of Cadbury’s chocolate was shipped over to Europe in 1944/5. In 1945 the press cutting is more specific in that it was headed for ‘civilian administration’. Not too clear about what form that would take, but presumably there was some sort of arrangement for its distribution in Europe. Seems to have been a government initiative. Wonder how it operated ? Via the Red Cross ? Viv.
 
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mikejee said:
Advert issued by Coal Board and presumably paid for entirely by them. Yet the Cadbury name is more prominent. Nice way to get someone else to pay to advertise your firm.

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The coal that Cadburys used was stacked along the private railway which ran just yards away from our back garden in Umberslade road. The stack was as high as our prefab and ran half the length of the road.
 
Sandbag prep for Bournville. They seem to be filling the bags alongside the (Cadbury?) railway track. Maybe the Cadbury train delivered the sand ? Viv.B6E1DA1A-E1A7-4CA0-B126-06298322A803.jpeg
Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
Vivienne14 said:
Sandbag prep for Bournville. They seem to be filling the bags alongside the (Cadbury?) railway track. Maybe the Cadbury train delivered the sand ? Viv.View attachment 161399
Source: British Newspaper Archive
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I think the sandbag photo was probably taken by no 2 lodge . Present view below:
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Yes so very true Viv, without the Americans in put of literally trillions in today's money and the UK Commonwealth donations, you would never have had the Euro union of today, a fact lost on modern politicians and society in general throughout Europe.
 
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