By Onome Amawhe
If you haven’t heard of John Cadbury, you’ll almost certainly have heard of (and tasted) Cadbury’s chocolate at some point.

The history of Cadbury as manufacturers of chocolate products in Birmingham dates back to the early part of the 19th century, when John Cadbury opened a shop in the centre of the city, trading as a coffee and tea dealer. Soon a new sideline was introduced – cocoa and drinking chocolate, which he prepared himself with recipes comprised of cocoa beans,  sugar, flour,  starch and milk; using a mortar and pestle.

The Cadbury story is a fascinating study of industrial and social development, covering well over a century and a half. It shows how a small family business developed into an international company combining the most sophisticated technology with the highest standards of quality, technical skills and innovation. The one-man business, opened in 1824, by a young member of a family of Quakers (non-conformists), is now one of the world’s largest chocolate producers.

In the 19th century the Cadbury family were members of one of the many non-conformist groups developed in the 17th century in protest against the formalism of the Established Church. Quakers held strong beliefs and ideals which carried into ‘campaigns for justice, equality and social reform, putting an end to poverty and deprivation’. As nonconformists, Quakers weren’t allowed to enter the Universities, which in the 19th century were closely linked with the Established Church.

So entry into the professions was impossible, and pacifist principles precluded the military as a career. Their energies and talents were therefore directed towards business, social reform and the transformation of social and industrial society in Victorian Britain.

Many Quaker families have made their mark on the British business scene – in addition to the Cadburys, the Frys of Bristol, Rowntrees and Terrys of York developed the confectionery business; Sampson Lloyd of Birmingham founded Lloyd’s Bank; the Hanburys brought tinplate to Wales; and the Darbys of Coalbrooke were the founders of the British iron industry. John Cadbury was born in 1802 in Birmingham to a wealthy family. He was not allowed to enter university (because he was a Quaker) so instead he began an apprenticeship at a tea dealers in Leeds.

In 1824 he returned to Birmingham and opened a small, one-man grocery shop at 93 Bull Street. In 1926 he married Priscilla Ann Dymond, but sadly she died two years later. In 1832 John married again- this time to Candia Barrow.

They had seven children- John, Richard, Maria, George, Joseph, Edward and Henry.
In 1847 the business moved to larger premises in Bridge Street, which had its own private canal spur linking the factory via the Birmingham Navigation Canal to the major ports of Britain. Work continued here for 32 years. Also in 1847 John’s brother, Benjamin Cadbury, joined the business. They faced tough competition from J.S. Fry’s in Bristol – who produced the first chocolate bar – and Henry Rowntree in York.The Cadburys found a special press in Holland which cut the proportion of fat in their chocolate from half to a quarter.

They could then claim their produce was “absolutely pure – therefore best”. However, 2 years later in 1849 the brothers pulled out of the retail business leaving it to their nephew Richard Cadbury Barrow. In 1861 John and Benjamin dissolved their partnership and John retired completely, leaving the business to his sons Richard and George. The Cadbury brothers opened an office in London and continued to expand the product line, and by 1864, they were pulling a profit. Cadbury’s Cocoa Essence, which was advertised as “absolutely pure and therefore best,” was an all-natural product made with pure cocoa butter and no starchy ingredients. Cocoa Essence was the beginning of chocolate as we know it today. The brothers soon moved their manufacturing operations to a larger facility four miles south of Birmingham.

The factory and area became
known as Bournville. The factory was named after a small stream that ran through the site. Bournville was an attractive area and it became known as the “factory in a garden”. At first Cadbury built 24 houses for their key workers at Bournville. Later Cadbury built another 300 houses to form Bournville Village.

These houses were superior to working class homes of that time, with larger rooms and generous sized gardens. Another innovation was to group the houses around cul-de-sacs or gardens. A school, hospital, reading rooms and wash-houses were also built for the people in the village.

Cadbury Brothers already had a reputation as a good employer, having introduced Saturday half days and Bank Holiday closing. At Bournville Cadbury introduced a wide variety of sporting and recreational facilities. There was a kitchen for heating up food and later a works canteen was added. The company also provided medical and dental treatment. With Cadbury’s continued success in chocolate, George and Richard stopped selling tea in 1873. Master confectioner Frederic Kinchelman was appointed to share his recipe and production secrets with Cadbury workers.

This resulted in Cadbury producing chocolate covered nougats, bonbons delices, pistache, caramels, avelines and more. Cadbury manufactured its first milk chocolate in 1897. Two years later the Bournville factory employed 2,600 people and Cadbury was incorporated as a limited company. During World War I, more than 2,000 of Cadbury’s male employees joined the Armed Forces. Cadbury supported the war effort, sending warm clothing, books and chocolate to the soldiers. Cadbury supplemented the government allowances to the dependants of their workers. When the workers returned, they were able to return to work, take educational courses, and injured or ill employees were looked after in convalescent homes. During this period trade overseas increased, and Cadbury opened its first overseas factory near Hobart, Tasmania.

The next year Cadbury merged
with JS Fry & Sons, a past market leader in chocolate. Cadbury supported the war effort during World War II by converting parts of its factory into workrooms to manufacture equipment like milling machines for rifle factories and parts like pilot seats for defiant fighter planes. Workers plowed football fields to grow crops, and the Cadbury St. John’s Ambulance unit helped people during air raids. Chocolate was considered essential for the Armed Forces and civilians. Rationing finally ended in 1949. In 1969 Cadbury merged with Schweppes to form Cadbury Schweppes. Schweppes was a well-known British brand that manufactured carbonated mineral water and soft drinks.

The merged companies would go on to acquire Sunkist, Canada Dry, Typhoo Tea and more. Schweppes Beverages was created, and the manufacture of Cadbury confectionery brands was licensed to Hershey. Despite the demands of running a large company, George Cadbury was committed to spending time helping those less privileged than himself. Cadbury often said: “We can do nothing of any value to God, except in acts of genuine helpfulness done to our fellow men.” Every Sunday morning Cadbury taught classes at the Birmingham Adult School. Although organized by Quakers, the school was non-sectarian and encouraged students to take part in the activities of their own churches. Cadbury was a strong supporter of William Gladstone and represented the Liberal Party on both Birmingham Town Council and Worcestershire County Council.

In 1901 he purchased the Daily News and used it to campaign for old age pensions and against sweated labor. As a pacifist, Cadbury was also a strong opponent of the Boer War. In the grounds of his home, Northfield Manor, Cadbury arranged for the construction of a building that could seat 700 people. Every year during the summer months, Cadbury provided food and entertainment for about 25,000 children from the deprived areas of Birmingham. In 1906 George Cadbury paid £60,000 into a pension fund for his employees. Cadbury continued to work at the Birmingham Adult School every Sunday morning. It was estimated that over a fifty year period he taught over 4,000 students.

Twice a year he organized
reunions at Northfield Manor that were attended by around 1,000 people. Cadbury opposed Britain’s involvement in the First World War and disillusioned with the way the Liberal Government behaved in 1914 switched his financial support to the anti-war Independent Labour Party. Cadbury joined with E.D. Morel, Ramsay MacDonald, Arthur Ponsonby, Arthur Rowntree and other critics of the government’s foreign policy to form the Union of Democratic Control (UDC). Over the next couple of years the UDC became the leading anti-war organization in Britain. George Cadbury died at Northfield Manor on 24th October, 1922. John Cadbury died on May 11th 1889.