 | |
| Company type | Proprietary Limited Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Chocolate production |
| Founded | 21 October 1921 (104 years ago) (1921-10-21)[1] |
| Founder | Cadbury-Fry-Pascall Ltd.[2] |
| Headquarters | 100 Cadbury Road Claremont, Tasmania Australia |
Area served | Oceania Southeast Asia India[3] Japan Pakistan |
Key people | Jamie Salter (Manufacturing Manager)[4] |
| Products | Chocolate |
| Owner | Cadbury |
Number of employees | 450 (2018)[5] |
| Parent | Mondelez International |
| Website | cadbury.com.au |
Cadbury's Chocolate Factory, also known asCadbury's Claremont and colloquially asCadbury's, is a prominent Australianchocolate factory situated inClaremont, Tasmania. Producing a company-record of over 60,000 tonnes (59,000 long tons; 66,000 short tons) ofchocolate in 2021, it has earned distinction as "the largest chocolate factory in theSouthern Hemisphere".[1][6][7]Established in 1921, the factory and surroundingmodel village estate markedCadbury's first business expansion outside the United Kingdom. The facility is currently owned by the multinational conglomerateMondelez International, which purchased Cadbury in 2010.
Initially set up to meet the growing demand for Cadbury products in Australia, the factory became a significant part of theTasmanian economy. Over the years, the Claremont factory has expanded and modernised, incorporating state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. Technological advancements have reduced the workforce from 1,100 in 1960[8] to 450 employees in 2018.[5] The Claremont factory primarily producesDairy Milkchocolate block varieties andCaramello Koala andFreddochocolate bars.
The factory formerly included visitor facilities where guests could learn about the company's history, observe the production process, and sample chocolates. These were discontinued in 2015 due to health and safety concerns. In 2025, an application was lodged to construct a $150 million chocolate-themed tourism development adjacent to the factory site.[9]
Following Cadbury's successful 1919 merger with rivalchocolatiersFry's, the British company decided to expand operations overseas. As Australia was one of the company's largest export markets, it was decided to be an appropriate location for their first factory abroad. After visiting Tasmania in January 1920, executives from Cadbury's selected the unique 246-acre (100 ha)[10] peninsula location at Claremont due to the state's cheap provision ofhydro electricity by theHydro Electric Commission, cool climate and the availability of high-quality fresh dairy production and supply.[11]TheCadbury family wereQuakers, and the company executives believed the site at Claremont embodied the Quaker values of the company, offering a tranquil and picturesque setting for workers. With a water frontage of 8.0 kilometres (5 miles),[10] the location inspired the company phrase "By mountain and sea", which the factory used on a range of promotional materials highlighting the business' interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.[8]
We are more than charmed with its infinite beauty and variety. The beautiful surroundings of the factory at Claremont were a revelation to us. I had seen drawings and photographs of the model factory "by mountain and sea", but until I actually saw it I had no conception of its glorious situation. It is just wonderful.[12]
Commencing construction in 1920, the factory was built entirely of whiteferro-concrete. Consisting of 9,200 cubic metres (12,000 cu yd) of concrete, weighing approximately 22,000 tonnes (22,000 long tons; 24,000 short tons), the factory was designed as six rectangular blocks, five of which containing three stories measuring 46 by 15 metres (150 ft × 50 ft).[13] These includedancillary buildings for the warehouse and power and transformer houses, which were interconnected by covered arches on each floor.[10]Forty workers (consisting of twenty-four men and sixteen women) from the original Cadbury factory inBirmingham and Bristol in the United Kingdom relocated to Tasmania to oversee the factory construction and train newly recruited staff.[14]Cadbury's Chocolate Factory at Claremont was officially opened on 21 October 1921.[1] Between March and May 1922, Cadbury's Managing DirectorDorothy Cadbury visited the factory, overseeing working conditions from both the perspective of the employee and employer. Her parents, Chairman of DirectorsBarrow Cadbury andDame Geraldine Cadbury DBE, and sister Geraldine Mary Cadbury accompanied her on the visit.[12][15]Bound for Sydney, the first shipment left Cadbury's Claremont on Saturday 8 April 1922, containingPascall confectionery.[16] Dorothy and Barrow Cadbury returned to Claremont in 1930.[17]Designed by architects Hutchinson & Walker, an additional three-story building measuring 100 metres (340 ft) in length was erected in 1939 at a cost of£A40,000.[18][19]
Based upon themodel village of Cadbury'sBournville estate in Birmingham, the newly established 'Cadbury's Estate' embodied Quaker ideology, providing housing for workers, shops, sporting facilities, a school, aFriends meeting house and parkland, complete with purple benches.[20]To assist worker education and social welfare, a variety of organisations and social activities were created within the self-contained community including a youth club, girls’ club, cricket club, afloricultural society and a camera club called "Candied Camera".[8]Located north of theCity of Glenorchy, the estate has views ofkunanyi / Mount Wellington to the west and both theCity of Clarence andBrighton local government area on the eastern shore.[11]Bound by Bilton Bay to the north and Windermere Bay to the south upon theRiver Derwent, the 246-acre (100 ha) site comprised the model village occupying 108 acres (44 ha) of the peninsula, the factory covering 41 acres (17 ha), recreational and shore reserves consisting of 58 acres (23 ha), and supporting infrastructure occupying a further 43 acres (17 ha).[10]
Within the estate are various roads and buildings containing historical industry namesakes, such as Bournville Road, named after Cadbury's original worker's estate. MacRobertson's Road pays tribute toMacRobertson's, the Australian company which createdCherry Ripe,Freddo Frog andOld Gold, acquired by Cadburys in 1967.[4] Today, the Cadbury's Estate has a rich history with eighteen heritage-listed buildings located on the site, including the former Claremont Primary School.[21]
Constructed at a cost of £A247, the first school at Claremont opened in July 1890.[22] In 1922, land for a new school was purchased with a brick building constructed for £A1,600. With frontage along Windermere Bay, the new Claremont School was completed on the Cadbury's Estate in 1924 to facilitate factory worker's children. In 1936, a second plot was acquired and a new building constructed at a cost of £A914. The school underwent two rounds of extensions in 1941, with the first wing costing £A2,070, and a second costing £A1,297.[22] The school was closely tied to the Cadbury factory workers, including students planting eighteen trees alongside Cadbury Road leading to the factory in 1949.[23]
As part of the City of Glenorchy'sBuilding the Education Revolution plan in 2009, the Claremont Primary School (as it was then known) was set to close following the proposal of two new primary schools facilitating the area.[24]The school closed in 2013 under the pretence it was to be developed into housing.[25]In 2015, a $79 million subdivision was put forward to develop the site.[26]In 2017 the school was victim to an arson attack, causing upward of $150,000 in damages and destroying one of the school's historic buildings.[27][28]The school was purchased by businessman Kai Yang in 2019. In 2021, a $200m development on the site called theWindermere Bay Precinct was proposed, featuring 315 apartments and townhouses, a childcare centre, local shops, a cafe, and a gym and pool within the parkland setting. Designed byCirca Morris-Nunn Architects, the remaining heritage-listed school building will be retained and used for community facilities.[29]
The Cadbury's Estate was previously connected to the formerNorth–South rail corridor via a dedicatedspur line, terminating at Cadbury's station.[30]The station was operational by September 1921,[31] with theTasmanian Government Railways operating 26 weekday services along the North–South corridor until the cessation of passenger services in 1974.[8][32] The former rail corridor has since been repurposed into acycle track.
Due to the factory's long history and the general appeal of chocolate, Cadbury's Claremont was a major Tasmanian tourism attraction, recording 150,000 visitors annually until its on-site visitor centre closed in 2015.[33]
From 1948, the factory conducted public tours of the facility, showcasing the manufacturing process, including the fermenting, drying, roasting, and separating ofcocoa beans from their skins to createcocoa solids andcocoa butter. The tour also included an inspection of the factory's pure graniteconching machines dating back to the1950s, industrial machinery and wrapping process, ending with a taste-testing and the collection of free samples.The tours were discontinued in 2008 due to health and safety regulations adopted by the company globally and replaced with a newly built visitor centre at the site in 2010.[34]
During the2013 federal election campaign, then-opposition leaderTony Abbott offered a $16 million grant to develop and upgrade the visitor centre. Once theAbbott government came into power, the parent company Mondelez stated that they had not met the criteria for the grant.[35] In spite of public outcry, the visitor centre was permanently closed on the 18 December 2015.[36]
TheChocolate Experience at Cadbury is a proposed $150 million tourism development adjacent to the Cadbury factory site, led by developerSimon Currant in partnership withMondelez International.[9] The project aims to transform the former visitor centre, which closed in 2016, into a visitor attraction featuring a chocolate lounge, masterclass spaces, a cocoa arboretum, and interactive exhibits designed by Tasmanian firm Cumulus Studio in collaboration with Art Processors.[37][38] Mondelez is not a funding partner, but is leasing the land and providing brand licensing for the venture.[39]
Early announcements for the proposal included a feature described as the "world's largest chocolate fountain", but this was removed from the final design.[40]
The Tasmanian Government has committed up to $12 million to support the redevelopment, which is projected to attract more than 500,000 visitors annually and to create over 200 ongoing jobs once operational.[41][42] The development application was lodged with Glenorchy City Council in mid-2025, with completion targeted for 2027.[41]
Cadbury's Chocolate Factory chiefly produces chocolate blocks includingDairy Milk,Caramilk, Breakaway, Dream and Marvellous Creations varieties. The site also producesCaramello Koala andFreddochocolate bars.In 2022, a network of 56 dairy farms in North-West region of Tasmania contributes 130,000,000 litres (29,000,000 imp gal; 34,000,000 US gal) of milk to chocolate production, which is then processed at Cadbury's Burnie milk depot.[43] The milk is then transported to Hobart in B-Double road tankers. Australian sugar is imported fromMackay, Queensland, withcocoa sourced and imported fromGhana.[44]Chocolate bars and seasonal products are produced at the Victorian Cadbury facilities atRingwood andScoresby.[note 1]
In April 2009, Cadbury Australia announced its commitment to Dairy Milk chocolate blocks achievingFairtrade International certification by Easter 2010.[45][46]When Cadbury was purchased by Mondelez International in 2010, the parent company was already devising its own internal sustainability programme, namedCocoa Life, which commenced in 2012. In 2016, Mondelez International discontinued Cadbury Dairy Milk's Fairtrade certification in favour for the Cocoa Life program. Labelling citing Fairtrade International had partnered with Mondelez International for the Cocoa Life program appeared on packaging, which also saw the removal of the International Fairtrade Certification Mark.[47] 100% sustainable cocoa in Cadbury's Australian-made goods was achieved in 2021 due to the Cocoa Life programme.[48][49][50]
In September 2022, Cadbury Australia announced that all future Dairy Milk varieties would be wrapped in 30% recycled soft plastic, replacing former single-use packaging.[6] Packaging was further increased to 50% recycled soft plastic in the first quarter of 2024.[51]
Historically Cadbury's Claremont has been a major employer for theCity of Glenorchy, employing 1,100 workers in 1960.[8] The workforce has continually reduced through the ongoing advancement of manufacturing technology and automation. In 2015, 80 factory floor jobs were cut following a $75m upgrade by Mondelez International, with a further 11 jobs cut from the closure of the visitor centre.[52][53]The workforce lost 40 workers in 2018 following a further $20m upgrade to machinery. In 2018, Cadbury's Claremont has a workforce of 450 people, in comparison to 2003, when it employed up to 850 people at peak times.[5][54]
Cadbury's Claremont instigated the inaugural Cadbury Marathon in 1983. Covering a distance over 42 kilometres (26 mi), the long-distance event begins and terminates at the factory. The event celebrated its 40th year in 2023.[55] Cadbury have sponsored the TasmanianT20 franchise cricket team, theHobart Hurricanes, since the2018–19 Big Bash League season.
Cadbury Road is accessible viaMain Road, Box Hill Road and Bolton Street, Claremont.Metro Tasmania bus number 512 services Claremont and the Cadbury's Estate, which depart from theHobart Bus Mall in the CBD.
In December 2024, a sewage discharge from the plant containing high concentrations of sugar caused the failure of the nearby Cameron Bay Sewage Treatment Plant.[56] The high levels of sugar killed off bacteria in the plant that break down and treat waste, causing biological sewage treatment to be ineffective.
42°47′33″S147°16′03″E / 42.79250°S 147.26750°E /-42.79250; 147.26750
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