Cadbury Nigeria Plc

John Cadbury is in poor health and hands the reigns of the business to his sons Richard and George Cadbury. The young men are just 25 and 21 years old respectively. They struggle to keep the business and work hard at promoting their goods to the trade. Their dedication, in addition to innovative new products and quality improvements, help the business survive and prosper.

The turning point for the young Cadbury brothers is a new processing technique and the resulting product: Cadbury Cocoa Essence. The new cocoa press, purchased from a Dutch manufacturer, squeezes out much of the cocoa butter from the beans so it is no longer necessary to put starches in the cocoa. The Cadbury brothers are the first British chocolate manufacturer to use this new process. The marketing of Cadbury Cocoa Essence as “Absolutely Pure, Therefore Best” helped sales increase dramatically.

Now employing 200 people, Richard and George Cadbury need a bigger factory. Instead of looking at another city location they chose a greenfield site four miles from the centre of Birmingham on what would be called Bournville Lane. There are practical business reasons why this site is appealing: canal and rail links, roads and water supply. Also, the workers can live in far better conditions than in the crowded slums of Birmingham. Production begins on this “factory in a garden” in September.

Using left over cocoa butter from its drink powder, Cadbury produces its first milk chocolate bar for eating. However, the bar is dry and not sweet enough to be successful.

Richard Cadbury dies and the business becomes a private limited company: Cadbury Brothers Limited. George Cadbury becomes chairman of the new board. By this time the Bournville factory has more than 2,600 employees.

For many years Cadbury has had close links with U.K. chocolate maker J.S. Fry and Sons Limited. The two companies sign an agreement to create a new holding company, the British Cocoa and Chocolate Company, which takes over the assets of both businesses. The company is still referred to by most as “Cadbury.” A new site is found for Fry’s outside of Bristol at Keynsham. It is named Somerdale.

Cadbury becomes an international company when its first overseas factory opens in Tasmania. Other factories soon follow in Canada, Dublin and South Africa.

The second World War begins. During the war, rationing is enforced and raw materials are in short supply. The company produces Ration Chocolate made with dried skimmed milk powder.

Cadbury opens a factory in India.

Began operations in Nigeria and has a cocoa butter processing plant in Ondo Town, Ondo State. It is currently a subsidiary of Mondelez International.

National Biscuit Company acquires Frears Ltd. of England.

Nabisco sponsors the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

A Food Services Division is established to handle sales, marketing and distribution of non-grocery-store products. Its focus is the “away from home” market including hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools and vending machines.

National Biscuit Company’s new “easy-lock” closure paperboard box is tested successfully on Triscuit crackers and then applied to the entire line of snack-cracker products over the next two years.

All Nabisco products made with wheat flour are enriched with Vitamin B1, B2, niacin and iron.

Nabisco’s cellophane-wrapped cookie line gets a new look that features a diagonal “dew-drop” design. This dew-drop design is added to cookie packaging other than cellophane in 1971.