History
In June 1905, in Birmingham, England, George Cadbury Jr made Cadbury's first Dairy Milk bar with a higher proportion of milk than previous chocolate bars; by 1914 it had become the company's best-selling product. Through its development, the bar was variously called 'Highland Milk', 'Jersey', and 'Dairy Maid'.[4][5] Accounts on the origin of the Dairy Milk name differ. It has been suggested that a Plymouth shopkeeper advised the name change; Cadbury maintains that a customer's daughter came up with the name.[4][5]
Fruit and Nut was introduced as part of the Dairy Milk line in 1926, followed by Whole Nut in 1930. Cadbury's was the brand leader in the United Kingdom at that time.[6] Almost a century on it retains this position, with Dairy Milk ranking as the best-selling chocolate bar in the UK in 2014.[2]
In 1928, Cadbury's introduced the "glass and a half" slogan to accompany the Dairy Milk bar to advertise the bar's higher milk content.[7] In the early 2010s, Cadbury changed the shape of the bar chunks to a more circular shape which reduced the weight.[8]
In 2003, Cadbury expanded the Dairy Milk brand range - the largest range in Cadbury's history - to include new flavours and variants: Biscuit, Crunchie Bits, Bubbly, Mint Chips, Turkish, Crispies, and Wafer and Orange Chips. Cadbury's Caramel bar was also relaunched under the Dairy Milk brand.[9]
A limited edition bar in reproduction 1905 packaging was launched in 2005, to celebrate the Centenary of Cadbury Dairy Milk.[10]
Also in 2005, Cadbury buried a time capsule at the Bournville factory, stating "We're going to bury a Time Capsule that won't be opened until Cadbury Dairy Milk is 200 years young. But, we need your help in deciding what we should leave for future generations."[11]
In 2012, Cadbury won a trademark dispute with Nestlé in the United Kingdom for the purple colour (Pantone 2685C) of its chocolate bar wrappers,[12] a colour introduced in 1914 as a tribute to Queen Victoria.[13] Nestlé successfully appealed the decision in October 2013.[14]
In July 2018, Cadbury announced it would launch a new Dairy Milk version with 30% less sugar. The chief nutritionist of Public Health England, Alison Tedstone, said she was ""pleased that Mondelez is the latest ... to commit to offering healthier products."[15]
In 2024, as part of Cadbury's 200th anniversary, limited edition Dairy Milk bars were packaged in one of seven reproduction packaging designs from 1915, 1940, 1961, 1980, 1993, 2003, and 2024.[16][17]
More recently, consumers have complained that Cadbury has altered the taste and texture of its chocolate, as well as shrinking the size of their bars.[18][19] While Mondelez maintains that its recipes are high quality,[20] widespread concerns persist regarding altered taste, often linked to cost-cutting measures, particularly in UK/Ireland markets.
