Cadbury World unveils chocolate recreation of company's first shop

Marking 200 years of the Bournville company the tourist attraction is celebrating the history of the world famous company.

At 85 cm tall, weighing 30kg – which is the equivalent of 667 standard Cadbury Dairy Milk bars – the magnificent chocolate Bull Street shop took the talented Cadbury World chocolatiers five days to make.

Every element of the creation is hand piped or hand crafted, with every cobble and individual brick carefully created by hand. The masterpiece was created by chocolatiers Donna Oluban and Dawn Jenks, who worked with milk and white chocolate to delicately handcraft every edible element.

The chocolate masterpiece recreates the first shop John Cadbury opened 200 years ago at 93 Bull Street in Birmingham. Originally a tea dealer and coffee roaster, he also sold hops, mustard, patent cocoa and cocoa nibs.

To entice wealthy customers in, the shop was the first in Birmingham to have plate glass windows with mahogany frames which it is said John cleaned every day. The shop had attractive displays including Chinese vases and oriental figurines that contained black and green tea.

Fast forward to 2024 and the Cadbury World chocolatiers’ intricate work reflects these iconic details, from 43 individually wrapped miniature recreations of the original Cadbury Dairy Milk bars in the shop window, to the grand front door, to artwork along the shop front window.

To mark the re-opening of the newly revamped Bournville Experience in the family attraction this month, the impressive creation will be on display for visitors to enjoy.

The Bournville Experience has undergone a revamp as part of the ongoing £8m investment by Merlin Entertainments in the attraction this year. Guests will have the opportunity to uncover the heritage behind the Cadbury brand and discover the Quaker ethics of the Cadbury family and how the Bournville Village came to be built.

The new Bournville Experience also includes the Gill Cocks collection, containing more than 1,000 unique pieces of Cadbury memorabilia, as well as busts of George and Richard Cadbury and artefacts from the early days of the business.

Colin Pitt, education and heritage centre manager, said: “We are always so impressed by the stunning creations our chocolatiers create here at Cadbury World, and with such an important milestone year for the brand, this one had to be extra special.

“We’re proud of the Cadbury story and guests of all ages really enjoy learning the heritage of the brand here at the attraction, so what better way to honour the 200 years of Cadbury than with a throwback to where it all began, the Bull Street shop! We look forward to welcoming guests to the attraction to celebrate with us and learn the full 200-year story at the new Bournville Experience.”