Cadbury’s Chocolate
Cadbury – A Legacy of Excellence
Founded 1824 by Quaker John Cadbury in Birmingham, England. The business began as a grocer selling cocoa and drinking chocolate.
By 1831, John and his sons were producing chocolate in a Bridge Street factory.
Cadbury adopted a revolutionary cocoa press to remove impurities and produce pure cocoa, launching “Cadbury Cocoa Essence” in 1866.
In 1879, George Cadbury founded Bournville (A Victorian Model Village) on 14.5 acres, a “factory in a garden.”
During WWI & WWII, the Bournville site aided the war effort (e.g., converting buildings into hospitals and making aircraft components).
The Cadbury Foundation was established in 1935 to continue supporting employees and communities
Post-war, Cadbury pioneered TV advertising and launched iconic snack‐size bars.
Key products include Dairy Milk (1905), Flake (1920), Creme Egg (1923), Fruit & Nut (1928), and Crunchie (1929)
The Cadbury Flake
Introduced in 1920, the Flake’s signature texture came from a factory accident in Bournville, where chocolate folded into delicate, crumbly layers. Now a staple of the Cadbury family, the Flake continues to reflect Cadbury’s craftsmanship and spirit of joyful indulgence.
The Flake 99
The origins of the name are uncertain. One claim is that it was coined in Portobello, Scotland, where Stefano Arcari who had opened a shop in 1922 at 99 Portobello High Street – would break a large “Flake” in half and stick it in an ice cream.
Another naming possibility is that it was named by immigrant Italian ice-cream sellers, many of whom were from the mountainous areas in Veneto, especially in the Bellunes Alps, Trentino, and Friuli. The name was in honour of the final wave of Italian First World War conscripts, born in 1899 and referred to as “i Ragazzi del 99” (“the Boys of ’99”). In Italy they were held in such high esteem that some streets were named in their honour. The chocolate flake may have reminded the ice cream sellers of the long dark feather cocked at an angle in the conscripts’ Alpini Regiment hats.
The Cadbury website says that the reason behind the Flake being called a “99” has been “lost in the mists of time”. However, the website also references an article from an old Cadbury works paper, which states that the name came from the guard of the Italian king, which consisted of 99 men and thus “anything really special or first class was known as 99.”
Come and try the ‘Shake 99’ with imported Cadbury Flake from England.
Available at The Coffee Press, Henderson NV
Founded 1824 by Quaker John Cadbury in Birmingham, England. The business began as a grocer selling cocoa and drinking chocolate.
By 1831, John and his sons were producing chocolate in a Bridge Street factory.
Cadbury adopted a revolutionary cocoa press to remove impurities and produce pure cocoa, launching “Cadbury Cocoa Essence” in 1866.
In 1879, George Cadbury founded Bournville (A Victorian Model Village) on 14.5 acres, a “factory in a garden.”
During WWI & WWII, the Bournville site aided the war effort (e.g., converting buildings into hospitals and making aircraft components).
The Cadbury Foundation was established in 1935 to continue supporting employees and communities
Post-war, Cadbury pioneered TV advertising and launched iconic snack‐size bars.
Key products include Dairy Milk (1905), Flake (1920), Creme Egg (1923), Fruit & Nut (1928), and Crunchie (1929)
The Cadbury Flake
Introduced in 1920, the Flake’s signature texture came from a factory accident in Bournville, where chocolate folded into delicate, crumbly layers. Now a staple of the Cadbury family, the Flake continues to reflect Cadbury’s craftsmanship and spirit of joyful indulgence.
The Flake 99
The origins of the name are uncertain. One claim is that it was coined in Portobello, Scotland, where Stefano Arcari who had opened a shop in 1922 at 99 Portobello High Street – would break a large “Flake” in half and stick it in an ice cream.
Another naming possibility is that it was named by immigrant Italian ice-cream sellers, many of whom were from the mountainous areas in Veneto, especially in the Bellunes Alps, Trentino, and Friuli. The name was in honour of the final wave of Italian First World War conscripts, born in 1899 and referred to as “i Ragazzi del 99” (“the Boys of ’99”). In Italy they were held in such high esteem that some streets were named in their honour. The chocolate flake may have reminded the ice cream sellers of the long dark feather cocked at an angle in the conscripts’ Alpini Regiment hats.
The Cadbury website says that the reason behind the Flake being called a “99” has been “lost in the mists of time”. However, the website also references an article from an old Cadbury works paper, which states that the name came from the guard of the Italian king, which consisted of 99 men and thus “anything really special or first class was known as 99.”
Come and try the ‘Shake 99’ with imported Cadbury Flake from England.
Available at The Coffee Press, Henderson NV