History
280 years of original British history is about to be taken away and Cadburys chocolate production relocated to POLAND.
In 1728 Bristol inventor Walter Churchman ground cocoa beans at Bristol castle mill using a water engine.
In 1748 J.S Fry opened an apothecary shop in Bristol.
In 1756 the patent for the water engine was bought by Joseph Fry who had been making his own chocolate and advertising it at about this time.
In 1795 a method of grinding cocoa beans using a Watt steam engine was patented by J.S Fry resulting in factory techniques being introduced into the cocoa business.
J.S Fry's sons became partners in 1822 and the firm was renamed J.S Fry and Sons. It became the largest commercial producer of chocolate in Britain.
In 1847 J. Fry's great grandson discovered a way to mix melted cocoa butter into defatted (Dutch) cocoa powder along with sugar to create a paste. This resulted in chocolate being able to be put into moulds to make bars. Following this Fry's moulded the first ever chocolate bar suitable for wide spread consumption.
In 1866 Fry's began producing the first Fry's Crème bar.
In 1873 came the first chocolate Easter egg in the U.K.
5 Pictures were taken of a 5 year old boy in 1886 and mouldings of these images were later used on a Fry's chocolate bar. It became the most famous confectionary bar in the world, namely Fry's Five Boys.
In 1896 the firm became a private registered company.
Near the start of World War 1 and with eight factories, Fry's were the biggest employers in Bristol. By the end of the 19th century 4,500 people were employed at Fry's.
In 1902 milk chocolate was introduced and the Five Boys image became irretrievably connected with the famous bar.
1914 saw the launch of Fry's Turkish Delight.
Over the following decades more than 220 products have been introduced.
In 1919 Crunchie arrived. In this same year Fry's chose its new home, a wonderful green field site at Keynsham. A new name was needed for the factory so a competition was launched. A young boy won with the name of ‘Somerdale', the name of the new site had been chosen.
Also in this year Fry's and Cadburys merged their financial interests and were renamed British Cocoa and Chocolate Company.
In 1923 the Keynsham Somerdale factory began production. A most memorable occasion for the Keynsham factory was when Queen Mary visited in the winter of 1938. Cecil Fry showed the Queen round the factory where she took a great interest in chocolate production. The employees spoke with the Queen as she tasted some of the lines.
As Quakers the Fry family were very family orientated. To help the employees of Somerdale and their families to enjoy precious time together the Fry family built a social club on part of the land surrounding the factory. Not only the employees and their families, but the local community of Keynsham were encouraged to socialise. Here a fine mix of industrial and social harmony was born. Frys Club is still the largest and most important social club in the area and is used by thousands of people a year. Conferences and wedding parties are held here, along with a wide variety of games and events. There are even facilities for the playing of almost every ball game going.
In 1936 Fry's and Cadburys joined forces.
Wednesday July 10th 1968 saw floods hit the Fry's factory along with the whole of Keynsham and surrounding districts. On Monday 15th July the Duke of Edinburgh landed on Fry's playing fields in a helicopter of the Queens flight. Fry's own fire brigade worked tirelessly helping the flood victims.
In 1969 Schweppes joined with Cadburys and the company became known as Cadbury Schweppes Ltd.
In 1978 to mark the 250th anniversary of chocolate making in (Bristol) Great Britain, a Fry's float proudly paraded the streets of Keynsham. Employees dressed in various costumes through the ages. There were even a couple of Fry's Turkish Delight ladies!
By 1981 the name of Fry's disappeared from the factory in Keynsham.
However, because of the amazing closeness between the factory and the local community, forged over almost one hundred years, most of the local communities and the inhabitants of the two cities that flank Somerdale, being Bristol and Bath, still refer to the factory as Fry's.
In 2000 the last member on the Cadbury Board stepped down.
The Cadbury Board now consists of British and American millionaires.
On 3rd October 2007 came the devastating news that Cadburys of Keynsham, although showing good profits, was to be closed and chocolate production was being sent 1,200 miles away to Poland with a total factory closure in 2010.
May 2008 saw the de merger of British Cadbury and American Schweppes.
October 3rd 2008, exactly one year after the closure and relocation announcement a web site was launched to Keep production in a Cadbury factory in Keynsham, Great Britain
This iconic historical industry is far too precious for Great Britain to let slide away. Please sign the petition to help keep a Cadbury factory in Keynsham, Bristol England.
