Looking for India’s favourite chocolate in Bournville

During a recent trip to the UK, I decided to head to Bournville, the village barely 5 miles from Birmingham, the home of the much-loved chocolates, and where John Cadbury opened a grocer’s shop in Birmingham’s Bull Street in 1824 to sell cocoa and drinking chocolate, which he made using a mortar and pestle. John Cadbury was a Quaker who believed in total abstinence and in Quaker Leaders Who Transformed the World, David Kingrey writes that he turned chocolate into a drink as “an alternative to alcoholic beverages". Its growing popularity led him to buy a warehouse in 1831 and start manufacturing. His sons, George and Richard, joined the business, and they moved to a larger factory in 1847.

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In Life of George Cadbury, A.G. Gardiner writes that a “momentous decision" was taken in 1879: to move the factory from city to country. “The two main lines of action—the efficiency of business and the welfare of workers—were successfully carried out," he writes. The site chosen by the brothers was scenic: 14.5 acres of land with a meadow and a stream called the Bourn. Bournville was developed as a “garden" or “model" village. The Quaker roots meant sale of alcohol was forbidden, and the brothers followed their father’s concern for the underprivileged, forming relationships with employees, helping with education and praying with them.

George had once asked, “If the country is a good place to live in, why not to work in?" Together with his brother, he made Bournville “a place where employees could live, work, and play". The Cadburys built 314 houses for employees by 1900 with gardens and modern interiors. They later added a swimming pool, a lido, sports facilities and a lake. “Richard and George developed ‘sick clubs’ to help with expenses of employees who needed to take a leave of absence for illness. The brothers were among the first to establish half workdays on Saturdays and bank holidays. They took employees on leisure outings and played cricket with them. They created an ideal world for their employees," Kingrey writes.

Bournville today retains a quaint Victorian village vibe. Pretty cottages, lovely gardens, a boating lake and a cricket ground stand with a small village green and an assortment of family-run shops. At the Cadbury World theme park, one of UK’s most popular family attractions, the connect between the Cadburys and Bournville comes to light. The park has a child-friendly 4D zone and rides, lets you in on manufacturing secrets, and allows you to practise your chocolate tempering and piping skills. The Cadbury Character Afternoon Tea adds a sweet touch to family outings as does chocolate tasting. Even today, as part of the Quaker tradition, Bournville remains a dry village—no alcohol is sold within the boundaries of the historic estate.

The timber-framed Selly Manor Museum is the starting point for the self-guided Bournville Village Heritage Trail, which showcases some of the village’s historic buildings. The Bournville Carillon, a set of 48 bells that ranks as one of the largest instruments of its kind in Britain, was commissioned by George in 1906 after a visit to Bruges, Belgium. The Quaker roots necessitated the construction of Bournville Friends Meeting House, designed by William Alexander Harvey and now a Grade II-listed heritage building.

In 2024, Cadbury’s celebrates 200 years of chocolate-making in Britain. The company produces 132,000 tonnes of chocolate every year in Bournville. It may be available across the world, but the sleepy village of Bournville remains the spiritual home of Cadbury’s.

Teja Lele is an independent journalist.

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