Better Homes And Gardens Egg Carton Roses

1824

JOHN CADBURY OPENED BULL STREET SHOP

In 1824, John Cadbury opened a grocer's shop at 93 Bull Street, Birmingham in the 1830's. Among other things, he sold cocoa and drinking chocolate, which he prepared himself using a pestle and mortar.

1831

JOHN CADBURY OPENS FACTORY IN CROOKED LANE

The Cadbury manufacturing business was born in 1831, when John Cadbury decided to start producing on a commercial scale and bought a four-storey warehouse in nearby Crooked Lane.

1842

THE RANGE EXPANDS

By 1842 John Cadbury was selling no less than 16 varieties of drinking chocolate and 11 different cocoas! The earliest preserved price list shows that you could buy drinking chocolate in the form of both pressed cakes and powder.

1847

THE BUSINESS MOVES TO BRIDGE STREET

In 1847, the Cadbury brothers' booming business moved into a new, larger factory in Bridge Street in the centre of Birmingham.

1847

FRY'S PRODUCE THE FIRST CHOCOLATE BAR

18th century France produced pastilles (tablets) and bars. But it wasn't until Bristol company Fry & Son made a 'chocolate delicieux a manger' in 1847 that the first bar of chocolate appeared, as we know it today.

1861

RICHARD AND GEORGE CADBURY TAKE CHARGE

John's health rapidly declined and he finally retired in 1861, handing over complete control of the business to his sons Richard and George. The brothers were just 25 and 21 when they took charge of the business.

1866

AN INNOVATIVE PROCESSING TECHNIQUE IS INTRODUCED

The turning point for the Cadbury business was the introduction of a new processing technique, resulting in the 1866 launch of 'Cadbury Cocoa Essence', the UK's first unadulterated cocoa.

1875

FIRST MILK CHOCOLATE BAR

In 1875, a Swiss manufacturer called Daniel Peter added milk to his recipe to make the first milk chocolate bar.

1875

CADBURY MAKES THEIR FIRST EASTER EGG

The first Cadbury Easter egg was made in 1875. The earliest eggs were made with dark chocolate and had a smooth, plain surface. They were filled with sugar-coated chocolate drops known as 'dragees'. Later Easter eggs were decorated and had their plain shells enhanced with chocolate piping and marzipan flowers.

1878

THE CADBURY BROTHERS ARE INSPIRED BY THEIR VISION

When the Bridge Street factory became too small, George Cadbury had a new vision of the future. 'Why should an industrial area be squalid and depressing?' he asked. His vision was shared by his brother Richard, and they began searching for a very special site for their new factory.

1879

BOURNVILLE 'THE FACTORY IN A GARDEN' IS BORN

Birmingham architect, George H. Gadd worked closely with George Cadbury to draw up plans for the factory. The first bricks were laid in January 1879 and 16 houses for foremen and senior employees were built on the site.

1893

GEORGE CADBURY ADDS ANOTHER 120 ACRES TO BOURNVILLE

George Cadbury had already created some houses for key workers when the Bournville factory was built. Then, in 1893, he bought another 120 acres near the works and started to build houses in line with the ideals of the embryonic Garden City movement.

1895

GEORGE CADBURY BUILDS A FURTHER 143 COTTAGES IN BOURNVILLE

George Cadbury decided not to go for tunnel-backs because it limited the amount of light in the houses. Instead he chose rectangular cottages, each one with a large garden. In 1895, 143 cottages were built on the land he had bought privately, a total of 140 acres.

1897

CADBURY MILK CHOCOLATE IS LAUNCHED

When Cadbury started making Cocoa Essence they had lots of cocoa butter left over, so they used it to make bars of chocolate! Cadbury milk chocolate hit the shelves in 1897, but it probably wouldn't be much to our taste now. Made of milk powder paste, cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar, the first Cadbury milk chocolate bar was coarse and dry and not sweet or milky enough to be a big hit.

1900

EARLY OUTDOOR AND PRESS ADVERTISING

Cadbury produced some of the finest examples of posters and press advertisements during this period. A popular local artist, Cecil Aldin, was commissioned to illustrate for Cadbury. His evocative images featured in early magazine campaigns and graced poster sites all over the country.

1905

CADBURY DAIRY MILK IS LAUNCHED

Swiss manufacturers were leading the field in milk chocolate, with much better products than their rivals. In 1904, George Cadbury Jnr was given the challenge to develop a milk chocolate bar with more milk than anything else on the market. All sorts of names were suggested, 'Highland Milk', 'Jersey' and 'Dairy Maid'. But when a customer's daughter suggested 'Dairy Milk', the name stuck. Dairy Milk was launched in June 1905. It was sold in unwrapped blocks that could be broken down into penny bars. Gradually it became more and more successful, until it was Cadbury's biggest seller by the beginning of the First World War. By the early 1920s it had taken over the UK market. And of course, it's still with us today. Cadbury Dairy Milk has become what's known as a 'megabrand', hugely popular and available in many different varieties, all over the world.

1905

FIRST CADBURY LOGO COMMISSIONED

In 1905 William Cadbury commissioned the first Cadbury logo. He was in Paris at the time and chose Georges Auriol to create the design - Auriol also designed the signs for the Paris Metro. The logo was an image of a stylised cocoa tree interwoven with the Cadbury name. Registered in 1911, it was used on presentation boxes, catalogues, tableware and promotional items, and imprinted onto the aluminium foil that was used to wrap moulded chocolate bars. Although we might not recognise it today, it was used consistently from 1911-1939 and again after the Second World War.

1906

BOURNVILLE COCOA IS LAUNCHED

At first, Cadbury resisted creating an alkalised cocoa (a product made less bitter by adding harmless carbonate of potash) having emphasised the purity of their own cocoa. But, eventually, the company realised that alkalised cocoa was the future and created Bournville Cocoa.

1908

BOURNVILLE CHOCOLATE IS LAUNCHED

Bournville chocolate was launched in 1908. It was named after the Bournville factory where it was made, and was originally launched just as a plain chocolate bar. Many variants have been added to the range over time including Bournville Nut, Bournville Fruit, Bournville Roasted Almond and Bournville Fruit & Nut.

1914

FRY'S TURKISH DELIGHT IS LAUNCHED

J.S. Fry & Sons merged with Cadbury in 1919 but the name of the bar remains. Fry's Turkish Delight - rose-flavoured Turkish delight draped in milk chocolate - is a long-standing favourite.

1915

MILK TRAY IS LAUNCHED

Boxes of chocolates had been produced at Cadbury since the 1860s. But they were expensive, sold in small quantities and would only have been bought for very special occasions. Milk Tray was different: a chocolate assortment, affordable enough to be an everyday treat.

1919

CADBURY PURCHASES FRY'S

Cadbury bought Frys in 1919 and the company grew, producing delicous chocolate on a grand scale, so it could be enjoyed by everyone.

1920

CADBURY DAIRY MILK GOES PURPLE

Cadbury Dairy Milk started out in pale mauve with red script, in a continental style 'parcel wrap' at its launch in 1905. The full Dairy Milk range became purple and gold in 1920.

1920

FLAKE IS LAUNCHED

The 'crumbliest flakiest chocolate' was first developed in 1920. A canny Cadbury employee noticed that, when the excess from chocolate moulds was drained off, it fell in a stream and created flaky, folded chocolate.

1921

CADBURY SCRIPT LOGO FIRST APPEARS

The Cadbury script logo, based on the signature of William Cadbury, appeared first on the transport fleet in 1921. It was quite fussy to start with and has been simplified over the years. It wasn't until 1952 that it was used across major brands.

1928

THE 'GLASS AND A HALF' SYMBOL IS INTRODUCED

It was originally used in 1928 on press and posters, but since then it's been in TV ads and on wrapper designs, where you can still see it to this day. First of all it was just on Cadbury Dairy Milk, but it's become the face of the company in recent years.

1928

INVESTMENT BEGINS IN CADBURY DAIRY MILK ADS

A huge success from day one, Cadbury Dairy Milk first hit the shelves in 1905. But surprisingly, little money was put into advertising it until 1928.

1929

CRUNCHIE IS LAUNCHED

A Fry's product, Crunchie was launched to rival an Australian bar called the Violet Crumble, which first appeared in 1913.

1932

HIGH TAXES ON IMPORTED GOODS

Eamon De Valera became Taoiseach and headed up the new Irish government. This government protected Irish Industry by placing high taxes on imported goods.

1933

CADBURY IRELAND BUILDS FIRST FACTORY

Cadbury Ireland built its first Irish factory at Ossory Road, Dublin. The factory began making product in 1933 and made just three products, including the most famous bar of them all - Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

1938

CADBURY ROSES ARE LAUNCHED

Cadbury Roses were introduced to compete in the twist wrapped assortment market. Early designs incorporated a sampler or embroidery rose design which was later replaced by a simpler rose.

1939

SECOND WORLD WAR BEGINS

During the War, rationing was enforced and raw materials were in short supply so it was a question of making do and concentrating on those products they were still able to produce. Cadbury Dairy Milk came off the shelves in 1941 when the government banned manufacturers from using fresh milk. Instead there was Ration Chocolate, made with dried skimmed milk powder.

1939

IMPACT OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

By 1939, rapid expansion meant that a second Cadbury's factory had to be built on Dublin's East Wall Road. In the same year World War Two breaks out. Cadbury chocolate-making is rationed and food supplies were at a minimum. Ireland maintains its neutrality throughout the war and the period between 1939 and 1945 was known as 'The Emergency'.

1945

POST WAR EXPANSION

Once the war ended, the company worked hard to restore business as usual. In due course of time, its efforts were rewarded and sales climbed.

1947

MILK TRAY BAR IS LAUNCHED

Eight Milk Tray Chocolates, in a bar. Imagine a box of Milk Tray Chocolates. Now imagine picking eight of the most popular chocolates – keeping their distinctive shapes – and putting them in a bar!

1948

FUDGE IS LAUNCHED

Launched in 1948, Fudge is most famous for its 1980s and early 1990s advertising jingle 'A finger of fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat'. The words were new, but the tune was borrowed and based on a traditional English folk song, 'The Lincolnshire Poacher'.

1948

POST-WAR EXPANSION FOR CADBURY IRELAND

The first big post-war expansion for Cadbury Ireland came in 1948, when the company's chocolate crumb factory was built in Rathmore, Co. Kerry, about 20 miles from Killarney.

1955

FIRST CADBURY TV ADVERT

Cadbury's ad for drinking chocolate was one of 24 that were shown on ITV's launch night. The advert was based on the popular panel game 'Twenty Questions'.

1957

THE MAKING OF A 50s CADBURY TV ADVERT

Ever wondered how an early TV ad was made? We found this footage in the Cadbury archive showing the making of an early Roses TV ad.

1957

FACTORY IN COOLOCK OPENS

In 1957, continued business expansion resulting from the introduction of new products prompted the next major step - the opening of the Cadbury factory in Coolock, a suburb of Dublin. The Minister for Industry and Commerce, Sean Lemass, conducted the official opening of the new Cadbury Ireland factory. Production grew and many new products like Snack were brought to the market for the first time.

1958

LUCKY NUMBERS ARE LAUNCHED

In 1958 Cadbury launched a new assortment of chewy sweets, some covered in chocolate and some not. These Lucky Numbers each had an individual number on the wrapper, hence the name. The brand was retired in 1968.

1960

SKIPPY IS LAUNCHED

The milk chocolate bar with a caramel and wafer centre launched in 1960, with the slogan 'It's got a crunch in the biscuit and a munch in the middle'. A classic 1960s TV ad for Skippy shows a swinging London couple getting off their scooter and going into a trendy coffee bar to pick up their Skippys.

1967

AZTEC BAR IS LAUNCHED

Made of milk chocolate, nougatine and caramel, the Aztec made a big impact on its launch in 1967.

1967

TOFFEE BUTTONS ARE LAUNCHED

A button-shaped chocolate sweet with toffee inside. Launched in 1967 and withdrawn in 1971. The packs featured brightly coloured cowboys and Indians.

1969

CADBURY MERGES WITH SCHWEPPES

The merger happened after the new Cadbury Chairman, Adrian Cadbury, was approached by his opposite number, Lord Watkinson.

1970

A DECADE OF SALES GROWTH

Many Cadbury brands - Flake, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Whole Nut and Fruit and Nut - saw vast increases in sales in the 1970s, partially due to hugely successful and memorable TV advertising campaigns.

1970

CURLY WURLY IS LAUNCHED

Curly Wurly, made of chewy caramel covered in milk chocolate, first appeared in 1970.

1970

OLD JAMAICA IS LAUNCHED

Old Jamaica was a special blend of milk and plain chocolate with rum flavoured raisins. This Cadbury Classic Selection bar is no longer made for the UK market, but you can still stock up on Old Jamaica if you look around on the Internet.

1971

CREME EGG IS LAUNCHED

Cream-filled eggs first appeared back in 1923. But the Cadbury Creme Egg we know and love today didn't hit the shelves until 1971.

1973

THE RISE OF EXPORTS

Nine years later in 1973, Ireland joined the EEC (now the EU), and Cadbury is well positioned to compete in a much wider market place. During the 1970s Cadbury Ireland reorganised its manufacturing to grow its export business and began the process of developing new products to remain competitive in the broader European market.

1980

IRISH CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE PRODUCES NEW PRODUCTS

By the early 1980's the "era of new product development" was in full swing. This led to the introduction of new products such as Twirl, Moro, Chomp and Eclairs.

1981

WISPA IS LAUNCHED

Launched nationally in 1983 after a trial run in the North East of England, Wispa was available throughout the 1980s and 1990s and was re-born in 2007.

1985

BOOST COCONUT IS LAUNCHED

Milk chocolate covered bar with a toasted coconut and caramel centre. A variant of the mighty Boost, this coconut flavour was discontinued in 1994.

1987

TWIRL IS LAUNCHED

Twirl was launched in the UK in 1987. The brand was developed by the Cadbury Ireland business using Flake technology. It was originally launched in Ireland in 1985 as a single finger product and became a two-finger product on its UK launch.

1989

INSPIRATIONS ARE LAUNCHED

Textured fruit flavoured centres covered in milk, white and dark chocolate. Inspirations launched in 1989, in a carton with sliding drawers. Initially highly successful, it was retired in 1998.

1990

CADBURY WORLD OPENS

Factory tours had always been popular but it was impossible to run a factory smoothly if it had thousands of visitors. In 1988 Cadbury began planning a visitor attraction to take the place of the factory tours - Cadbury World.

1993

CADBURY IRELAND PRODUCTS ADORED AT HOME AND AROUND THE WORLD

Many other products are also produced at the Coolock factory, including Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Wholenut, Fruit And Nut, Golden Crisp, Tiffin, Mint Crisp, Turkish, Caramilk, Rum and Butter, along with other popular varieties.

1996

CADBURY FUSE IS LAUNCHED

Fuse exploded into the UK marketplace on 'Fuesday' 24th September 1996. It was a chocolate bar with a difference – instead of having a milk chocolate coating on the outside, the yummy ingredients were suspended right the way through it.

2003

CADBURY SCHWEPPES BUYS ADAMS AND BECOMES THE WORLD'S LEADING CONFECTIONERY COMPANY

Cadbury bought the world's number 2 gum manufacturer, Adams, in 2003 and achieved its aim of leading the market.

2007

THE GORILLA ADVERT PREMIERS

'Gorilla' showed the eponymous primate enthusiastically playing the drums on the Phil Collins record 'In the Air Tonight'. It proved hugely popular and cleaned up at advertising awards ceremonies, winning many prizes including the prestigious Grand Prix Lion at Cannes in 2008.

2008

CADBURY AND SCHWEPPES DEMERGE

The two companies demerged to allow each to concentrate on its area of expertise.

2008

CADBURY COCOA PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED

In January 2008, Cadbury launched the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership. £45 million was put aside to put into cocoa farms in Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean over a decade.

2009

CADBURY DAIRY MILK BECOMES FAIRTRADE

The move to Fairtrade has the impact of tripling the sales for cocoa farmers in Ghana under Fairtrade terms, both increasing Fairtrade cocoa sales for existing certified farming groups, as well as opening up new opportunities for thousands more farmers to benefit from the Fairtrade system.