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Cadbury's Bournville Factory

I didn't know that! We have a Cadbury factory right here in Hobart, Tasmania. :D
 
I am just reading Annie Murray's book "The Chocolate Girls" and I'm loving it.

My ex husband worked there in the 60's and often came home with "mis-shapes"!!!!!!!!
 
Sylvia said " Cadbury was founded much earlier sometime in the 1700's if my memory serves me right "
That's some memory you've got there kid! :wink:
 
John Cadbury tea,coffee, spice shop in Bull St. 1824
Moved to Bridge St in1847.
Sons Richard and George took over firm in 1861
Moved to new factory in Stirchley in 1879 and renamed it Bournville
Cadbury dairy milk first made in 1904 but not launched till 1905
Lots of web sites about the firm and the family who did so much for Bham people
 
Thank you for all the info. I caught the end of something on the radio, added two and two and made five. :D

BUT, dairy milk is my favourite, and still going after 100 years aint bad. :wink:
 
Ahh Di.......... I too am a fan of Cadbury's choccy. I dont think you can beat it. My wife Brenda likes galaxy and while I will eat it, as I will any chocolate, I think Cadburys is by far the best.
 
Cadbury's

I have to agree Dairy Milk is super. Do you remember when they had the little bars of Dairy Milk in the classic purple packet? They were around for a while during and after the war but then disappeared. My Mother loved them and before the War she used to have one for her lunch. She always loved chocolate and Flakes were another of her favourite. We used to buy mishapes from Birmingham Market as well. Here in Canada there is a Cadbury's factory in Toronto but the chocolate doesn't taste the same. I will only buy it if it is from Bournville!!!!! We have a wonderful butcher's shop near us called Millington's and it is run by an English couple.
RThey have every kind of Cadbury's(from Bournville) you can imagine. They have a small grocery line as well. They sell the best Black Puddings
I have ever tasted. Thank heaven's for small mercies.

I have been doing some historical research on Bournville since my father worked in the Power Station there and a friend of mine is the headmaster of a junior school there at present. He has written to me about the place
and some of it's history. It is an amazing story overall not only about the Cadbury family but the building of Bournville over the years mainly so that the early workers could have a decent place to live.

Sadly, there are no Cadbury family members involved with the
running of the company now.
 
CADBURYS TASMANIA

Further to Cadbury being in Hobart Tasmania. When I was in my early twenties I boarded with a widow whose husband was an employee of Cadbury. Employees at his level apparently were supplied with a house (or rented from the company) on what was called "Cadbury Estate". I fell out of favour with her because I came home late and didn't wake up in the mornings to get to work! Honestly I'm a changed person these days! :lol: PS - I never got any chockies either.
 
The Cadbury family treated their workers very well, and the houses they built were a talking point in my young days. Are they still standing in Bouneville :?:

The 50's milk flakes were in a brown paper case, rather like a fairy cake case. The only place I could ever buy them was a shop almost under the railway bridge, next to the ICI in Witton. It was owned by an elderly lady, she had the flakes hidden away and you had to be a good customer to get one. :D
 
Thank you for the links Rod & Ken. I enjoyed reading the history of Cadburys, and I have been sitting here listening to the carillon. Also Jackie for your description of the village. Another trip fpr us this summer. :D

Working for the company changed lives, imagine moviing from an inner city back to back into one of those new houses out in the country.

I don't think I will ever open a bar of milk chocolate without thinking of George Cadbury.
 
Cadburys have a well deserved World Wide reputation of excellence,benevolence of employment being a part of their culture.
The design,engineering, production,maintenance in Manufacturing excellence has required innovation & skills over many,many years & those skills are still in existence today.
Blending the original equipment with the modern sophisticated electronic high speed production machinery of today is a tribute to all above.
The Office functions, Personnel, Advertising/Marketing, World Class.
Having worked (Contract-Engineer) Bourneville & Toronto the Whole scenerio of Cocoa Bean to tantalising our tastebuds is Excellent
Have you Ever had a "Bad" Cadbury chocolate ?
Thanks & Enjoy,,, :) John
 
As sponsors of Coronation Street, Cadbury (note the name has changed from Cadbury's in recent years) have been advertising the centenary of Milk Chocolate for quite a while now. But, being a MAN, my favourite Cadbury product is the dark Bournville - at its best after a few hours in the fridge.

I have no direct connection with the factory other than using the outdoor lido in those long hot summers when I was a kid. However, when my brother worked for ICL, he installed and maintained the computer system at Bournville (big mainframe in a dustproof environment). Besides a girl who worked on the production line there, I can remember him bringing home brown paper bags of rejects and Easter eggs.

In more recent years, I recall Cadbury's having some sort of production fault which resulted in all their Easter eggs being produced a few grams more than intended. Such was their output, although this was only a minuscule amount, the hole it knocked in their profits was phenomenal.

Especially for all you interested ex-pats, I can strongly recommend a visit to Cadbury World, whenever your back in the home city. There you partake in a guided tour tracing the history of both chocolate and Cadbury's. My only word of caution is, if you have a five year old child with you, like my grandson, ration his free sample intake. This should prevent the risk of him going hyper and turning into a devil to control. :lol:

As John said, "Enjoy!"
 
Yummmmmmmmmmm

:D We also have a Cadbury Factory here in NZ in a place named Dunedin - strange really that it should be there as that was more of a Scottish settlers area rather than an English one like Christchurch, but it is in The South Island.
When my sister and I were at Bloomsbury Girls we went on a trip around Cadbury's and then had to write a 'Chocolate Saga' which was sent back to Cadbury's and the three judged the best from each year got chocolate prizes. My best friend Carol Bunn got the 1st prize the year that our class went 8) , she was one of those people that was good at everything always top of the class. :)

Chris :)
 
These postings have been very interesting but I have put on 5lb just reading them.Cadburys Fruit and nut,oh my goodness,please hide those scales.
 
mmmmmmmm chocolate

My mum was a supervisor on one the production lines in the early 1960,s and would bring us home bags of mishapes .

She now lives in the road behind Dominic Cadbury the one time chairman.

Bourneville is still a nice village and the cadbury family being of quaker origin I believe there are no pubs on the trust area.

Off subject a bit I think the calthorpe,s land was the same that is the area around HAGLEY road whcih at one point i think had no pubs on .. Bt there are loads now .
 
its amazing how one firm can arouse so many personal connexions.
Living by Dominic!! thats posh!
A TIP.If you go to Cadbury World dont miss the exhibition round the back of the main building. It's called the Cadbury Collection and is all about the village and the lives of the workers.You dont have to pay to go round this part and you can go into the cafe and the chocolate shop afterwards.
For anyone wanting to make a day out go across the road to Selly Manor and then on to the Barber Institute art gallery about a mile away.Both have a web site
 
Cadbury's 2

Ken, when I visited Cadbury World, I was more impressed with the Cadbury Collection than the "themed" part. The way that they looked after their workers as far back as 1900 was amazing, with a doctor's surgery, dentist, keep fit classes for the workers etc., it would put manyif not all of today's companies to shame. They really cared for the health and well being of their staff long before the days of Health & Safety at Work campaigns. I believe it was the Quaker ethic because other Quaker chocolate firms such as Rowntrees and Frys worked to the same principles.
 
After the shop was opened in Bull Street the first Cadbury's factory of any scale was opened in a rented premisses at the bottom of Crooked Lane. This lane seemed to be an extension southwards of Cherry street and came to an end at the junction of Bull Street and Dale End. It mostly dissappeared when Martineau Street was put in. I don't think Crooked Lane went any further down than Dale End but I am not sure. Anyway I have come across this picture of the junction of Bull Street and Crooked Lane and the first factory must have been pretty close to here. Click on the link below. Date 1865.

https://www.sandersofoxford.com
 
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Anne Jessel said:
What was Cadbury's factory like to work in? What about all those freeby chocolates?
Click to expand...

I worked at Cadburys for 25yrs I retired about 7yrs ago, It was great in the early days it was it was so much fun we always had a laugh and we could eat has much chocolate has we liked if it was in the room you were working in, and it all tasted lovely because it was freshley made,
 
Fresh Made Chocolates

I'm sure it was fun to work there. Just the smell of the chocolate would certainly entice me!

I had a trip to Cadbury World and I was a little disappointed, as the viewing of the making of the chocolates was quite restricted. I remember going along to meet someone who worked there when I was about 12 years old, and I was taken in to watch all the chocolates going along the conveying system and being decorated and packed and boxed up. Also the huge vats of chocolate. There didn't seem to be any restrictions as to what you were allowed to see in those days. It was fascinating. It's all to do with public health and all that nowadays.
 
Anne Jessel said:
I'm sure it was fun to work there. Just the smell of the chocolate would certainly entice me!

I had a trip to Cadbury World and I was a little disappointed, as the viewing of the making of the chocolates was quite restricted. I remember going along to meet someone who worked there when I was about 12 years old, and I was taken in to watch all the chocolates going along the conveying system and being decorated and packed and boxed up. Also the huge vats of chocolate. There didn't seem to be any restrictions as to what you were allowed to see in those days. It was fascinating. It's all to do with public health and all that nowadays.
Click to expand...


Yes you are right its all to do with public health nowdays, some summer day's it was to hot for the chocolate so we were sent home and still got paid . but then the air conditioning came in and some times it was quite cold we had to wear body warmer to keep warm even in the summertime.
I have been to Cadbury World a few times it does improve each year.
 
Extra PAID Time Off!

Pat, I will have to visit again soon. It's so good to read all the replies
I'm glad the exhibition is getting better. Can you see more of the chocolate making?
Did you pray for all those hot days when you were sent home. Go home to sunbathe? and regret the day when the air conditioning came into force? BLOW! (excuse the pun)
Anne
 
Commemorative Book

Hello John,
All this info. is very interesting. I would imagine the book is extremely unique?
Thanks a lot. Is there a tale as to how it came into your possession. Were you or your family connected in any way?
I've just had a quick glance at your website and I shall set myself time to have a good read through
Anne
 
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