Results: The History of Chocolate * Part Eleven * CHOCOLATE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM Continues...

Cadbury did not want to serve in the military due to his pacifist beliefs. Because of the government's restrictions and commonplace discrimination against Quakers, many Quakers turned to entrepreneurial pursuits and became businesspersons; although none of them would reach the success that John Cadbury did. The Cadbury chocolate company and its Quaker roots have an impressive legacy in the cocoa industry rooted in ethical, sustainable and revolutionary business practices. It would not be a stretch to suggest that John Cadbury's strongly held religious beliefs and adherence to the Quaker tradition profoundly impacted the evolution of the Cadbury and by extension, the entire cocoa industry. Did you know Cadbury believed alcohol was a main cause of poverty and he hoped that selling chocolate and cocoa would be an alternative to people buying alcohol?

In 1854, Cadbury and his brother Benjamin who formed Cadbury Brothers received a Royal Warrant as the official manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa to Queen Victoria, a notorious sweet tooth. Their growing business was not able to fit in that small shop they first started in so they purchased 330 acres of land in the countryside out of Birmingham. Cadbury, out of his own pocket, built a model village known as Bournville with over 300 homes scattered across the countryside with large gardens, schools, parks, swimming pools, bowling greens, a fishing lake, and a large factory. Conditions at this model village were revolutionary for the age and were inspired by Cadbury's desire to ''alleviate the evils of modern, more cramped living conditions'. They made significant contributions to help the country through the great Wars. Did you know the brothers set new standards for working and living conditions in Victorian Britain and the Cadbury plant in Bournville became known as "the factory in a garden"?

Over the years since then, Cadbury and his family built a company that placed a high priority on the welfare of the workers and set new standards for working and living conditions. These standards are now the benchmarks of safe, ethical, and sustainable benchmarks for cocoa manufacturers globally. Despite the wonderful model that Cadbury has developed, other companies like Hershey's have not taken significant steps to ensure that their chocolate is made without exploitative labor. Have you heard of the Power of Purple prior to this survey?

Cadbury demonstrated its commitment to ethical working conditions first envisioned by their founder, John Cadbury, by only selling Fair Trade certified chocolates. In addition, Cadbury brought together 10 of the largest chocolate companies to create an ambitious program, CocoaAction. With over $500 million in funding, they are aiming to reach 300,000 farmers in western Africa with training programs and education with the hope that healthier economies will translate to better conditions for the employees. Farmers who agree to these training programs learn how to properly use pesticides and fertilizers and sign a pledge not to exploit child labor. As a reward, they can earn bonuses on every ton of beans sold if they are certified. Were you aware of CocoaAction prior to this survey?

John Cadbury's legacy of compassion, humanity, and philanthropy combined with a happy knack for creating amazing chocolate has forever influenced the history and the future of the cocoa industry. On the face of it, what Cadbury did when he was alive – treating humans fairly and justly – should not have been revolutionary then and should not be a groundbreaking perspective to take today. In fact, Cadbury showed that a company can manage a viable business while also maintaining high standards for ethical and sustainable conduct. And that is worth raising a bar for. Do you think that today's Grocery Chains could take a lesson from John Cadbury?