A. Chocolate was enjoyed by Mayan and Aztec people in Central and South America hundreds of years ago. In those days, the people did not really eat chocolate; the cocoa bean was used to make a chocolate drink that the people enjoyed very much. Much later, the cocoa bean was brought across to Europe, and people there also came to love the taste of chocolate.
B. In 1824, John Cadbury opened a small shop in Birmingham. One of the items he sold was cocoa powder to make into drinks. In 1831, he opened a small factory to make cocoa powder from cocoa beans. John Cadbury believed that alcohol was an important cause of poverty and he wanted to encourage people to drink chocolate instead.
C. Joseph Fry invented a way to make chocolate bars, and so for the first time people had the chance to eat chocolate instead of only drinking it. In the beginning, chocolate was a luxury and only the rich people could afford it. Later, as more and more chocolate bars were produced and sold, it became cheaper.
D. At first only plain chocolate was produced. Milk chocolate came later and this was made by adding milk or milk powder to the chocolate. Cadbury introduced their milk chocolate bar in 1897. Their most famous chocolate, Cadbury's Milk Bar, was introduced in 1905. It has been a best seller in Britain and around the world for nearly 100 years.
E. Cadbury's as we know it today started from small beginnings in Bull Street, Birmingham. A shop was opened by John Cadbury in 1824. It did not start as a confectionery shop but sold tea and coffee and homemade drinking chocolate or cocoa which he made himself for his customers.
F. John Cadbury moved into the manufacturing of drinking chocolate and cocoa. By the early 1840's Cadbury operated from a factory in Bridge Street. The chocolate industry was given a boost in the 1850's when the government reduced the high import taxes on cocoa. Cadbury's was given a Royal Warrant in 1854 as manufacturers of chocolate for Queen Victoria.
G. After such a successful start the business fell upon hard times. John Cadbury's sons Richard and George struggled with the business after their father retired in 1861. However, new processes and new products helped the business improve. By the turn of the decade they were able to move from the Bridge Street factory to what is now Bournville.
