Cadbury's Chocolate Factory, Tasmania


Cadbury's Chocolate Factory is a working chocolate factory belonging to the Australian division of international confectionery company Cadbury, and is located in Claremont, Tasmania. Despite being an active production facility, Cadbury's Claremont has a rich history with 18 heritage listed buildings on the site. The factory still features pure granite "conching" machines which are over 60 years old but are still in use. Due to its long history, and the general appeal of chocolate, the factory was a major Tasmanian tourism attraction for families until its on-site visitor centre closed in 2015.
Following Cadbury UK's successful 1922 merger with rival chocolatiers, Fry's, Cadbury's decided to expand overseas. As Australia was one of the company's largest export markets, it was decided to be an appropriate location for their new operations. Tasmania was chosen as the location following extensive research, due to the state's cheap provision of hydro electricity by the Hydro Electric Commission, cool climate and the availability of high-quality fresh dairy production and supply.
The building of the new complex was a massive undertaking, and the new facility was modelled upon Cadbury's Bournville facilities, down to the provision of housing, shops, and sports and other facilities for the employees. The new estate was called "Cadbury's Estate" and was located on the banks of the Derwent River in Claremont to the north of Glenorchy.
Most of the milk used to make Cadbury's products is sourced from the North-West region of Tasmania and processed at Cadbury's Burnie milk depot. The milk is then transported to Hobart in B-Double road tankers. Products produced at the site for the Australian market include all the major Cadbury brand chocolate bars and blocks, as well as classic chocolate confectionery products. Seasonal products, such as Easter Eggs, as well as boxed chocolates are not produced at the Claremont factory and are produced at the other Australian Cadbury facilities.
Cadbury's Claremont is the largest chocolate factory in Australian, and the Southern Hemisphere.
A range of promotional materials, guides and histories of the operation have used since the 1920s the phrase 'By mountain and sea'.
From 1948, the factory conducted public tours of the facility, which were a popular tourist attraction, however these were discontinued in 2008 due to health and safety regulations adopted by the company globally. The tours were replaced with a visitor centre at the site. During the 2013 federal election campaign, then-opposition leader Tony Abbott offered a $16 million grant to develop and upgrade the visitor centre. The money was not provided, with the Abbott government and parent company Mondelez stating that they had not met the criteria for the grant. The visitor centre was closed on 18 December 2015.

Ephemera and publicity materials