A Chunk of Irish History
1932
Let’s start in 1932. Eamon De Valera became Taoiseach and headed up the new Irish government. This government protected Irish Industry by placing high taxes on imported goods.
Cadbury Ireland built its first Irish factory at Ossory Road, Dublin. The factory began making product in 1933 and made just three products, including the most famous bar of them all - Cadbury’s Dairy Milk.
1939
By 1939, rapid expansion meant that a second Cadbury’s factory had to be built on Dublin’s East Wall Road.
In the same year World War Two breaks out. Cadbury chocolate-making is rationed and food supplies were at a minimum. Ireland maintains its neutrality throughout the war and the period between 1939 and 1945 was known as ‘The Emergency’.
The first big post-war expansion for Cadbury Ireland came in 1948, when the company’s chocolate crumb factory was built in Rathmore, Co. Kerry, about 20 miles from Killarney.
Cocoa beans are processed into cocoa mass at Cadbury’s Dublin site and sent to the Rathmore factory, where the chocolate crumb is produced. Milk, sugar and cocoa mass are then combined in a gradual cooking process. The cooked mixture is then dried to form ‘crumb’, the basic ingredient for all Cadbury chocolate products. From Rathmore, the crumb is then sent back to Dublin to be made into finished chocolate bars.
This Rathmore site was chosen because it gave immediate access to substantial supplies of quality milk. Continued investment in the Rathmore plant over time, makes it one of the most modern food factories of its type in the world. The Rathmore plant also exports chocolate crumb to the UK, US, Canada, Japan and other world markets.
1964
In 1964, continued business expansion resulting from the introduction of new products prompted the next major step - the opening of the Cadbury factory in Coolock, a suburb of Dublin. The Taoiseach of the time, Seán Lemass, conducted the official opening of the new Cadbury Ireland factory. Production grew and many new products like Snack were brought to the market for the first time.
1973
Nine years later in 1973, Ireland joined the EEC (now the EU), and Cadbury is well positioned to compete in a much wider market place.
During the 1970s Cadbury Ireland reorganised its manufacturing to grow its export business and began the process of developing new products to remain competitive in the broader European market.
By the early 1980's the "era of new product development" was in full swing. This led to the introduction of new products such as Twirl, Moro, Chomp and Eclairs.
In fact, Cadbury’s Dublin factory became a centre of excellence for the manufacturing of these brands. Of course this required major capital investment to modernise the plant and the full support of the Irish Government and the IDA (Industrial Development Authority), who both recognised that Cadbury’s development programme would help Ireland’s export trade and provide maximum employment prospects.
WAS THE NEW PROGRAMME A SUCCESS?
YES! So much so that: Sales increased significantly since the early 1970s. Even more importantly, exports increased substantially.
1993
Many other products are also produced at the Coolock factory, including Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Wholenut, Fruit And Nut, Golden Crisp, Tiffin, Mint Crisp, Turkish, Caramilk, Rum and Butter, along with other popular varieties. While some brands are made for sale throughout the World, others are made solely for the Irish market.
Altogether, Cadbury Ireland produces over 200 products. Products not made in Ireland are sourced from other Cadbury factories, such as those in the UK and France, to service the Irish market.
You could enjoy a TimeOut in the UK, South Africa, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, the Middle East, Bermuda or in the Czech Republic that was produced in Ireland. Equally if you eat a Flake in London, it too has been produced in Ireland for export abroad.
Cadbury’s chocolate, manufactured in Ireland, is now exported to over 30 countries all over the world including the UK, Canada, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Asia, The Middle East, Cyprus, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Holland, USA, Canary Islands, Bahamas, Czech Republic, Bermuda, Jamaica, Colombia, and Costa Rica.
Today
Cadbury Ireland creates direct employment at the Cadbury factory in Coolock, Dublin and at the chocolate crumb factory in Rathmore, Co. Kerry. Additional employment is created through the purchase of local milk, sugar beet, packaging and a wide range of other materials . In fact, Cadbury Ireland is one of the biggest users of indigenous materials.
In Ireland, thousands of shops carry a wide range of Cadbury’s chocolate products. Fleets of trucks and vans are kept constantly busy on a circuit of Ireland, making sure that all your favourite bars are available in your local shop.
More than €250 million worth of Cadbury chocolate produced in Ireland, is exported every year, bringing Ireland valuable earnings from abroad.
Cadbury Ireland has had many export successes and has made a spectacular transition from being a small scale manufacturer for a protected home market to a substantial producer of brands consumed around the world today.
Since its humble beginnings, Cadbury Ireland is now one of Ireland's foremost companies serving consumers in Ireland and around the world. Millions of consumers enjoy the delicious experience of a Cadbury's chocolate bar that "Tastes like Heaven".