More Cadbury Dairy Milk production to return to Bournville

The owner of Cadbury is set to return the majority of its Dairy Milk production back to its historic Bournville factory.

Previously, Mondelez International - which owns the chocolate brand - has made most of its bars on the continent.

Announcing a £15m investment at the Birmingham site, the company said from 2022, 125 million more Dairy Milk bars would be manufactured there.

Bournville village was built by the Cadbury brothers in the 1870s.

Mondelez' UK managing director Louise Stigant said Bournville was still considered the "heart of Cadbury" and bringing more Dairy milk production back "home" offered an opportunity to invest in the plant.

About £11m of the new funding will go towards a new production line, meaning the majority of its sharing bars will be made in Birmingham.

The remaining £4m will be spent increasing its chocolate-making capacity.

"At a time when manufacturing in the UK is facing significant challenges, it has never been more vital to secure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our business," she added.

Mondelez, which owns other brands including Toblerone and Milka, is one of the largest chocolate, biscuit and coffee producers in the EU.

"Bournville is now much more competitive across our manufacturing network, particularly when it comes to producing high volume products such as Cadbury Dairy Milk tablets," Bournville manufacturing director, Roberto Gambaccini, said.

"It's important that we continue this journey and this investment will see us take full advantage of the efficiencies that modernisation, and upskilling can create to continue the growth and success of the Bournville site."

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