Cadbury Gifts Sale

Cadbury History

Cadbury was founded on 4 March 1824 when John Cadbury, a 23-year-old Quaker from Birmingham, opened a grocer’s shop at 93 Bull Street in the city centre. Alongside tea, coffee and other grocery goods, he prepared and sold drinking chocolate himself, grinding cocoa beans by hand using a pestle and mortar. A devout Quaker and temperance campaigner, Cadbury saw chocolate and cocoa as wholesome alternatives to alcohol. By 1831 business had grown sufficiently for John to move into manufacturing, renting a warehouse in Crooked Lane and beginning commercial production.

In 1847 John entered into a formal partnership with his brother Benjamin and the company became Cadbury Brothers. The same year they moved to a larger factory in Bridge Street. In 1854 the firm received a Royal Warrant as manufacturers of cocoa and chocolate to Queen Victoria. John retired in 1861, handing control to his sons Richard and George. The business was struggling at the time, but the brothers turned it around decisively in 1866 by introducing a Dutch cocoa press that removed excess cocoa butter from the beans, allowing them to produce a purer, better-tasting product — Cadbury Cocoa Essence — which they advertised as “Absolutely Pure, Therefore Best.”

In 1878 George and Richard began building a new factory outside Birmingham, creating not just a manufacturing site but a model village for their workers. Named Bournville — combining the local Bourn brook with the French word for town — it opened in 1879 and became famous as “the factory in a garden.” Cadbury manufactured its first Easter egg in 1875 and introduced its iconic Dairy Milk chocolate bar in 1905, using a higher proportion of milk than any competitor. Dairy Milk became the company’s best-selling product within a decade and remains so today. The distinctive purple packaging of the full Dairy Milk range was established by 1920, and the Cadbury script logo — based on the signature of William Cadbury — first appeared in 1921.

Cadbury merged with J.S. Fry & Sons in 1919 and with Schweppes in 1969. Subsequent decades brought beloved products including the Creme Egg (1971), Roses, Flake, Twirl, Wispa, Heroes and Crunchie. Cadbury was acquired by Kraft Foods in 2010, and when Kraft restructured in 2012, Cadbury became part of Mondelez International, its current owner. The Bournville factory in Birmingham remains operational and is home to Mondelez’s global centre of excellence for chocolate research and development.

What does Cadbury Gifts Direct sell?

Personalised chocolate gifts

Personalised Dairy Milk bars, gift boxes and selection boxes with your own name, message or photo — a popular choice for birthdays, thank-yous and celebrations.

Chocolate hampers

Pre-made and build-your-own hampers packed with Cadbury favourites including Heroes tubs, Roses tins, Dairy Milk, Twirl, Flake, Crunchie, Wispa and Bournville — available for every occasion from Christmas to new arrivals.

Selection boxes and gift boxes

Curated selection boxes for birthdays, Easter, Christmas and seasonal events, including advent calendars.

Letterbox gifts

Compact chocolate gifts designed to fit through a standard letterbox, ideal for posting directly to a recipient.

Chocolate subscriptions

A monthly subscription service delivering a curated selection of Cadbury bars to your door.

Corporate and bulk gifts

Volume orders and corporate chocolate gifts for businesses, with discounts available on larger orders.

Toys and novelties

Cadbury-branded soft toys (including Freddo plush), novelty gift sets and seasonal collectibles.

Common Cadbury Gifts Direct Questions

Does Cadbury Gifts Direct offer an NHS discount?

Yes. Cadbury Gifts Direct offers a 7% cashback discount to NHS and healthcare workers via Health Service Discounts (healthservicediscounts.com). Verify your NHS status through that platform to receive your code.

Does Cadbury Gifts Direct offer a student discount?

Cadbury Gifts Direct does not currently operate a permanent student discount programme. Savings are available via promotional codes (typically 10–15% off for newsletter subscribers and seasonal events), clearance sections and multi-buy deals.

How does Cadbury Gifts Direct delivery work?

Standard delivery costs £3.99 and arrives within 1–2 working days (Monday to Friday). Next-day delivery is available for orders placed before 4pm Monday to Thursday, at a cost of £5.50–£6.95. Weekend delivery via DPD is available to most UK postcodes, charged at £8.00. Orders can also be placed in advance for a specific delivery date, which is useful for birthdays and other occasions.

What is Cadbury Gifts Direct’s returns policy?

Cadbury Gifts Direct accepts returns within 28 days of purchase. If an item arrives damaged or broken, contact customer services to arrange a replacement or refund. Return the damaged item to: Cadbury Gifts Direct, Unit 2 Melmerby Green Road, Barker Business Park, Melmerby, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5NB, including your order number and the action you would like taken.

Does Cadbury Gifts Direct have a loyalty scheme?

Yes. Cadbury Gifts Direct operates the Chocolate Chunks loyalty scheme. You earn one Chunk for every £1 spent (each Chunk is worth 1p), which can be used towards future orders. Chunks are also awarded for registering and signing up to emails. Members spending over £250 also receive a small price reduction on orders.

Can I personalise chocolate gifts at Cadbury Gifts Direct?

Yes. Personalised Dairy Milk bars and gift boxes can be customised with a name, message or photo upload. Note that photo uploads are available on single-item orders only; multiple personalised item orders accept text personalisation only. Personalised items add some processing time to your order, so allow extra lead time if ordering close to a deadline.

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