Cadbury Bournville investment ‘credit’ to Unite members

Unite has praised its Cadbury Bournville members and representatives for their part in helping to secure a £15 million investment at the historic Birmingham site. 

Cadbury owner Mondelēz International announced that Bournville will benefit from an £11 million investment to create a new line of the future for Cadbury Dairy Milk tablets, consolidating the majority of its tablet production at the site. 

The new, highly efficient line will enable 125 million more of the iconic large sharing bars to be made at Bournville annually, with additional capacity for any future growth. 

Alongside the new line, Mondelez is also planning to invest a further £4 million at the site to increase its chocolate making capacity, to ensure sufficient chocolate mass to meet current demand and anticipate future needs.

Unite national officer for food, drink and agriculture, Joe Clarke, said: “The announcement by Cadbury of a new line at the Bournville site to handle 12,000 tonnes per annum of additional chocolate is a vote of confidence in the UK workforce. 

“To complete consultations and negotiations to deliver this fantastic investment, even in the midst of the Covid restrictions, is a credit to the trade union representatives, the members and the business. 

“Our reps and members have been instrumental in ensuring this investment, which will create 40 new fulltime jobs for seasonal staff at the site, came to the UK and it is an excellent example of the benefits that can be gained when workers join Unite.”

Louise Stigant, UK Managing Director, Mondelēz International said, “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. 

“We now have an opportunity at Bournville to further invest in its future as the home and heart of Cadbury by bringing more Cadbury Dairy Milk production to Bournville.

“This investment will continue the modernising of our production processes at Bournville and ensure we are meeting the need for a highly efficient and robust supply infrastructure for our iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk tablets.”