Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milk Tray and Roses
The pack design of Britain’s favourite milk chocolate has been evolving ever since its launch way back in 1905, when its continental-style ‘parcel’ wrap was pale mauve with red script.
The full range became purple and gold in 1920, and in 1932-3 the wrapping changed to foil and a paper band – a uniquely British style. The Cadbury script logo first appeared in 1951, and the ‘glass and a half’ symbol was added in the late 1970s.
Milk Tray
Everyone knows Milk Tray’s distinctive purple boxes, but it got its name from another part of the ‘design’. In 1915 both Milk Tray and Plain Tray were launched – assorted chocolates delivered in 5½ lb boxes, and then arranged on trays in the shop and sold. In 1916 the products were packaged into 1/2 lb cardboard boxes.
The boxes were stylish but no-frills – not just for special occasions. By the mid-1930s it was outselling all its competitors. Later in 1961 it was made more sophisticated, and a William Morris-style pack was introduced in 1971. In 1978 it changed again, to an elegant pack with a white orchid on the purple background.
Roses
In 1938 Cadbury’s Roses was a strong entry into the ‘twist wrap’ market (named because of the way the wrappers are secured by twisting around the chocolates).
They came in striking blue packs with a red rose design. Roses were popular at the time as they still are, and Bournville had a reputation for being a ‘factory in a garden’, hence the name.
Over the years they’ve changed – early boxes had an embroidery rose design, later on it became more simple. And where did the distinctive shape of the box come from? It was developed to resemble a style of handbag called the ‘Dorothy’!
At one point Roses was nearly discontinued in the 1960s, when the design of the pack was changed, which just goes to show how important packaging is! It recovered though, and the Roses Easter Carton won a Packaging Star award in 1966. These days Roses is a leading brand in its sector and it overtook its main competitor in 1987.