Proudly wearing the Candy Addict tag means that you will go to the far reaches of the globe to have an unusual candy experience. So it was that I found myself in Claremont, Tasmania (nearest land mass to the south of Tasmania? Antarctica) visiting the Cadbury factory. Tours are run every half hour and are so popular you’ve got to make a reservation several days in advance.
Cadbury is a British chocolate company which established a presence in Australia in the 1920′s. This was a wise move, as Australians consume more Easter eggs than any other country in the world, and are the fifth largest consumers of chocolate products overall. I was completely awed by the huge volume of chocolate moving through that factory. Machines which can easily wrap 850+ mini bars per minute, thousands of peppermint cream centers flying by on conveyor belts, robotic arms which pick and pack the assorted boxes – the whole experience was truly inspiring.
The Claremont factory is now one of four in the region, and primarily produces the bar lines and boxed chocolates. Other Cadbury products like Freddo Frogs, Picnic and Flake are produced at their other Asia Pacific factories. Astonishingly, of the tons (literally) of chocolate which comes out of the Claremont factory, a whopping 95% of it remains in Australia, with only 5% exported to the rest of the world.
I left the tour with a new appreciation for the science and technology which goes into chocolate manufacturing. An educational as well as sensory experience, the Cadbury Factory Tour is not to be missed. Browsing through the gift shop was a Candy Addict’s paradise, with access to some interesting products as well as all the classics going cheap. I’ll be writing a few reviews on some “gems” I found at the Cadbury shop, so stay tuned! Of course, should you happen to find yourself in Tasmania, I highly recommend taking the Cadbury tour (if for nothing else than the free chocolates at the end)!
There’s a Russel Stover factory tour thingy not too far from here. I’m going with some friends on our way to Georgia next month.
October 26th, 2007 at 5:40 pmYou must visit the original Cadbury’s factory in the UK…visiting around Easter is the best!
June 16th, 2008 at 4:18 pm