The variety of processes used in the manufacture.
What machinery is used in the manufacture of the product?
What type of production is involved in the ‘Dairy Milk Bar’ i.e. batch, mass or one off?
In order to carry out this product study many sources of information are needed by means of thorough research. The Internet will be very useful to my investigation, as well as my public library and school library to carry out research. Books, advertisements and magazines are available for use and will offer significant, relevant information. I also propose to contact ‘Cadbury’ to obtain any information that can support my study or to organise a visitation to one of the factories to see the processes for my self. I also intend to hand out questionnaires to a number of people from the public, relating to my study.
My proposed research strategy for the completion of my case study
Weekly time frame for project
History of Cadbury
Cadbury has been associated with chocolate since 1824; when a young Quaker, John Cadbury opened his first shop in a fashionable part of Birmingham. Apart from tea and coffee, John Cadbury sold hops, mustered and cocoa drinking chocolate, which he prepared himself with a pestle and mortar. Cocoa drinking chocolate was introduced in the 1650s and was considered a luxury, which only the wealthy families could afford to buy in those days.
John Cadbury’s cocoa beans in those days were imported from South and Central America and the West Indies. Now days cocoa plantations are found in a number of countries, which have humid tropical climates with regular rains and a short dry season such as Malaysia and Indonesia. West Africa is a major producer today, with Ghana growing some of the best quality cocoa in the world.
The ‘Quakers’ were one of many non-conformist groups formed in the 17th centaury in protest against the formalism of the church. Due to principles, they were not permitted to enter the Universities or military for a career therefore focused their energy on business. Many Quaker families have made their mark on the British business scene - in addition to the Cadbury’s, the
Fry’s of Bristol, Rowntree’s and Terry’s of York who developed the confectionery business; Sampson Lloyd of Birmingham founded Lloyd's Bank and the Darby’s of Coal Brooke were the founders of the British iron industry.
In 1847 a larger factory was rented, John Cadbury became partners with his brother Benjamin and the family business became Cadbury Brothers of Birmingham. During the mid 1850s business began to decline, and the partnership between the first Cadbury brothers was broken in 1860. John Cadbury's sons Richard and George, who'd joined the company in 1850 and 1856, became the second Cadbury brothers to run the business, when their father retired due to failing health in 1861. George was more concerned with manufacturing and Richard with selling, but both brothers went out and promoted their goods amongst the trade. The dedication and hard work of the two young Cadbury brothers helped the business survive and grow. The turning point came in 1866 when the introduction of a new cocoa bean processing technique enabled Cadbury Brothers to market a new cocoa essence: "Absolutely Pure - Therefore Best".
By the 1870s Cadbury business had outgrown the Bridge Street Factory, and the Cadbury brothers started their search for a new site. By 1878 the ideal site was found in the centre of Birmingham. Originally the factory was to be named after the Bournbrook Hall, which was nearby. However the name 'Bournville' was chosen - 'Bourn' from that line of name and 'ville', the French word for town. All things French were in vogue at that time particularly in the area of confectionery, so a French sounding name was considered to be commercially beneficial.
Richard Cadbury died at the age of 63 in 1899; the business then became a private limited company: George Cadbury became Chairman of the new Board and his fellow directors were Barrow and William A. Cadbury (Richards’s sons) and two of his own sons, Edward and George Cadbury Jr.
By 1899, the Bournville factory had trebled in size, with more than 2,600 employees. The Bournville factory site became a 'series of factories within a factory', as everything needed for the business was produced on site.
History of Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar
Milk chocolate was first made by Cadbury in 1897 by adding milk powder paste to the dark chocolate recipe of cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar. By today's standards this chocolate was no where as good: it was coarse and dry and not sweet or milky enough for public tastes. George Cadbury Jr and experts set out to meet this challenge in order to get the recipe just right. Four years of hard work was invested in the project and in 1905 the recipe was perfected and a delicious new milk chocolate made with full cream milk was ready for production. Three names were considered for the product: Jersey, Highland Milk and Dairy Maid in the end Dairy Maid became Dairy Milk, and Cadbury's Dairy Milk, was ready to challenge the Swiss domination of the milk chocolate market.
By 1913 it had become the company's best selling product and in the mid twenties Cadbury's Dairy Milk achieved its status as the brand leader, a position maintained ever since. Today more than 250 million bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk are made every year and sales reach more than £250 million in value.
Cadbury Dairy Milk is a brand known in most countries around the world and it carries the same distinctive image all over the world as well as the renowned slogan "glass and a half of full cream milk in every half pound" with the picture of milk pouring into the chocolate bar. The first two additions to the Cadbury Megabrand family were Fruit & Nut in 1928 followed by Whole Nut in 1933. Since then the family has been extended and there are now 10 varieties of Cadbury Dairy Milk bars in the range.
Manufacturing Process of the Chocolate
Cocoa begins with cocoa trees, which, for thousands of years, grew wild in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon basin and other tropical areas in Central and South America. The Maya Indians and the Aztecs recognised the value of cocoa beans both as an ingredient for their special drink (chocolatl) and as currency.
Cocoa trees need specific climatic conditions to thrive as the demand for Chocolate grew more plantations were needed. Cocoa plantations were started in the West Indies, the Far East and Africa, and the price of cocoa beans gradually began to fall, as larger amounts came onto the market.
Chocolate was exclusively for drinking until early Victorian times, when a technique was perfected for making solid 'eating' chocolate.
Before arrival at the factory the raw cocoa beans have been fermented and dried. On arrival at the processing factory the beans are thoroughly inspected, from then on to be sorted and cleaned. They are roasted in revolving drums at 135. During the roasting the shells become brittle and the beans darken to the characteristic coca colour and aroma.
Kibbling and Winnowing are the next processes as the roasted beans are broken down into small pieces known as ‘nibs’ (kibbling) and the brittle shells are blown away by air currents (winnowing).
The nibs are then grounded in steel pin mills and due the heat and friction turns into a thick dark liquid called ‘mass’. Coca Butter is then extracted from the mass in heavy duty pressers, what remains after the removal of the cocoa butter are cocoa cakes. These cakes are broken up and ground into a fine cocoa powder which contains the aroma, taste and colour of cocoa.
Chocolate is made from cocoa mass, with sugar, cocoa butter and, optionally, milk added. The mixture is then rolled and ‘conched’ (a treatment whereby chocolate is kept in continuous movement to allow the cocoa mass to thicken and to develop into the right substance). Depending on the desired taste, other ingredients may be added.
Finally, the hot chocolate mass must be allowed to cool slowly. This process, called 'tempering', is important for the right crystallization of the cocoa butter. After tempering, the chocolate can be poured into any desired form and hardened.
