A young Quaker named John Cadbury opened a grocery in Birmingham, England, in 1824. In 1831, he began selling bitter drinking chocolate and cocoa. In those days, sweet chocolate confections were unknown.

In 1847, Cadbury was joined by his brother Benjamin to form a business called Cadbury Brothers of Birmingham. About this time the pair started making some of the first "eating chocolate" in England.

Sweet chocolate quickly became a luxury of the rich. In 1853, the Cadburys received a royal warrant to make chocolates for Queen Victoria. Benjamin left the company in 1860 and a year later John Cadbury retired, leaving his sons Richard and George in charge of the business.

Over the years chocolate went from being the treat of the rich to a common snack. In 1993, the United Kingdom ranked fifth in the world in chocolate consumption. The British eat an average of 16.09 pounds of chocolate per person each year, and Cadbury dominates that market' The company introduced its famous Cadbury Creme Egg in 1971 and entered the U.S. market in 1978.