Cadbury marks major 200th anniversary milestone with special Dairy Milk bars
With this year marking a huge milestone for Cadbury in celebrating its 200th birthday, the British-founded manufacturer will be taking on a host of activities through the year including a TV ad and new limited edition Dairy Milk bars with retro packaging to commemorate the occasion, reports Neill Barston.
The classic bar will be returning in 180g Limited Edition format, as well as 95g packs, and is set to be made available in seven different collectable designs, featuring product designs from across the ages, starting as far back as 1915 and running right up to the present day.
Cadbury has played an integral part of the British confectionery scene for generations, and has transferred into the ownership of US-based Kraft since 2010, after the major corporation, which named its confectionery interests, Mondelez International, paid a reported total of around £11.9 billion for the business in 2010.
As Confectionery Production previously reported, the owners, the Cadbury’s key manufacturing facilities in Bournville, Birmingham, UK, received a key £15 million investment three years ago to enhance production at its facilities.
Though the Cadbury family is no longer directly involved with the business that it founded, chocolate making has been retained by the family in the form of James Cadbury, who has seen his own independent brand, Love Cocoa, grow notably in recent years.
For its latest release, Mondelez’s nostalgic packs will add real theatre to retailers’ stores, with shoppers from every generation expected to be able to recognise the Cadbury Dairy Milk bar they saw on store shelves when growing up, with the inside of each pack illustrated with a special artwork documenting some of Cadbury’s milestone moments.
In addition, the company’s memorable new TV advert “Generations of Generosity” demonstrates that throughout Cadbury’s history, there has always been A Glass and a Half in Everyone. The clip takes viewers through 200 years of British life, beginning in 1824 and fast forwarding through history as the story of a little girl buying her mum a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk for her birthday is retold.
As the company noted, the brand’s impact over the past 200 years extends far beyond just creating delicious treats. Driven by a foundational spirit of generosity and philanthropy, Cadbury has helped nurture local communities and economies by investing in its factories, sites and employees.
Notably, to mark this anniversary, Cadbury will partner with Alzheimer’s Research UK, donating £200,000 to support research to one day find a cure for dementia and drive awareness of the condition. If nothing changes, one in two people will be affected by dementia in their lifetime, either by developing it themselves, caring for someone with the condition, or both. The company added that it is continuing to play its part in raising awareness of the charity’s work.
Bryony Tate, Cadbury Brand Manager at Mondelēz International, says: “We’re really looking forward to celebrating 200 years of Cadbury belonging to our nation this year. The British public has played such an important role in our history and we’re proud to celebrate being yours. We hope that the launch of our Limited-Edition Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar packaging will bring a smile to people’s faces, with the seven retro designs offering something for everyone!
“From the thrill of a little treat shared with a loved one, to special occasions and even getting the entire nation excited for milestone cultural events, like Royal Coronations and the London Olympics, Cadbury has belonged to our nation for 200 years. But really, it’s thanks to the whole British public that Cadbury is still here today. We’re planning for an exciting year ahead and lots more announcements to come so stay tuned!
