Cadbury admits stuffing up their new chocolate recipe
After near universal condemnation and the families that advised Cadbury they wanted smaller blocks that were ’softer to bite’ nowhere to be seen, Cadbury announced yesterday that they will be dropping the palm oil component of their chocolate blocks.
I only mustered up the courage to try the new blocks just weeks ago but like most people found the new ‘taste’ horrendously bad.
Noticing that the price for the new blocks kept dropping over the past few months I wasn’t all too surprised that they’ve backed down.
I’d be willing to bet Cadbury’s backflip was due to customers having stopped buying their chocolate in droves, although some seemingly naive customers did persist. Just last weekend I was standing in line at the supermarket when I saw a guy clearly looking to get laid put down a box of condoms, some steaks and a small block of Cadbury chocolate on the conveyor belt.
‘Dude seriously you’re not getting laid with that shit. One bite and you’re going to be up half the night discussing why you thought it’d be a good idea to ruin her night completely.’
‘woah really? Thanks for the heads up, cock-in-the-air highfive!’
Cadbury managing director Mark Callaghan fills us in on the details:
“We are removing palm oil and returning to a cocoa butter only recipe for Cadbury’s entire moulded block chocolate range, including our flagship Cadbury Dairy Milk brand and product lines such as Old Gold and Dream,” Cadbury Australia managing director Mark Callaghan said yesterday.
“We will soon commence the production of a cocoa butter only recipe at Claremont in the coming weeks.”
Whilst I welcome the change, the thing that gets me though is the contempt they had for their customers when introducing the the change. I mean did they seriously expect anyone was going to believe the ‘you told us this is what you want’ market research bullshit they came up with?
Instead of just admitting they were cutting costs and experimenting Cadbury instead chose to market spin and treat Australians like morons.
Unfortunately they don’t seem to be budging on the size of the blocks. No word on whether or not the price is going to go back up to pre-palm oil levels, one would assume that it would and they’ll just take the size difference as profit and hope nobody mentions anything.
For me, this gesture is too little too late and I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive the company for thinking Australian chocolate lovers were going to just bend over and keep on buying. Sorry guys but I still won’t be buying a Cadbury chocolate blocks regularly anytime soon. Maybe on the odd occasion just to indulge myself in a little bit of TopDeck.
On my last post about Cadbury there wasn’t one person that commented positively on the change, so now that they’ve backed down and reverted to the old recipe will you be buying the blocks again or have you too been permanently stung the wiser?
August 20th, 2009 at 9:56 am (Quote)
I hope the “Genius” that came up with the idea of a new recipe and a way to save a few bucks is sacked – that would save some money. If one of your core businesses is chocolate and you change it so no-one likes it anymore, I would have thought that is as big a stuff-up as you can make. I am with you – I bought some Lindt the other day and Cadbury is gooonneee…
August 20th, 2009 at 10:13 am (Quote)
Oh definately, I noticed the guy informing us was different to the guy with the sales speak from a few months ago.
Heads need to roll in the marketing dept as I imagine they’ve been looking at some pretty depressing sales figures the last month. Think stock market crash chart depressing.
August 20th, 2009 at 11:39 am (Quote)
It won’t make much difference to me. The main thing I like about Cadbury is the colour of their shop I saw in the UK a few years ago…very purple. I much prefer Nestle.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:00 pm (Quote)
Too late for me, Lindt Lindor are my new poison. Give’em a try.
August 20th, 2009 at 4:38 pm (Quote)
I’ll think about buying another block of “cocoa butter only recipe” Cadbury Dairy Milk if they re-instate the 250 gram blocks.
The 220 gram blocks are still the same price for 30 grams less at most stores.
August 21st, 2009 at 6:23 pm (Quote)
What have they done to our beautiful chocolate – never again will my family purchase cadburys chocolates. We are moving onto the Lindt brand now. When will companies learn if its not broken dont fix it.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:41 pm (Quote)
I agree that the worst aspect of this whole thing is the utter contempt the company has for its customers. That’s what really annoys me and that’s why I definitely won;t be buying Cadbury again. Like many other I’ve found an alternative and am now happy to stick with that.
September 1st, 2009 at 7:45 am (Quote)
omg. had no idea about the change to cadbury receipe, but i got online to contact cadbury because after 40 years of eating their product, my main food source, i suddenly have an allergic reaction whereas my tongue lips and throat swell up very painful as teeth cutting into swollen tongue, wondering is this because of new receipe. ???????
September 1st, 2009 at 9:33 am (Quote)
Possibly Kazzie, you might be allergic to palm oil.
That was the major change, I’m not sure if they did anything else though. Might be worth getting in contact with Cadbury directly.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:31 pm (Quote)
I sent them an email about their new shite size blocks, crap chocolate and the removal of whole nuts from their hazelnut blocks (my fav). Got the same spin reply as everyone else.
The reality is that if there really was a market for choc blocks containing shredded hazelnuts, then why were their competitors selling an identical product to Cadbury’s rather than differentiating their product to satisfy this supposed market demand?
The truth behind the marketing BS is that whole hazelnuts wouldn’t fit in the smaller blocks.
Fortunately finding a replacement involved looking one shelf up on the supermarket aisle. I have now left Cadbury’s remaining crumb covered customers to gum their new ’softer’ resized crap chocolate, may they choke on it.
Whittakers whole hazelnut is now my block of choice.
September 11th, 2009 at 11:32 pm (Quote)
Like everyone else I was so disappointed with Cadbury’s dirty tricks. Who ever convinced them that the way to make money was to change a trusted and loved recipe and get people to pay more for less seriously needs their head read. Haven’t they heard of Brand Loyalty? I hope they go bust!
September 15th, 2009 at 12:55 am (Quote)
So some bozo marketer at Cadbury decided to rip consumers off, and lie-by-omission about it. Well, even if they re-instate ’some’ cocoa butter (as well as whatever else cheap and nasty fat they can find to keep that cocoa level at a bare minimum), I won’t buy it again. Like everyone else I know, I’ve switched to Whittakers. It’s cocoa content is much higher than Cadbury’s, and it consequently tastes a whole lot better.
ps. those inane ads were lame. I mean, Phil Collins as an ape was just stupid.
September 15th, 2009 at 9:58 am (Quote)
I’m totally with you on the loyalty thing. Chocolate is almost like a religion to me and I won’t be going back to Cadbury anytime soon.
I kinda liked the ads though, entertaining to watch once or twice. I did like the ape one better then the eyebrow kids one though (that girls face just creeps me out little).
September 17th, 2009 at 12:32 am (Quote)
I initially missed the news reports and found out by trial and (massive) error. I have been a chocoholic for all of my 36 years. I have no trouble in polishing off a family block in one sitting. But this new packaging – I couldn’t get through 1 row! It was repulsive and sickly. I was infuriated upon learning what had happened and the audacious spin they gave us. Yes, we know the nation is full of gullible suckers when it comes from the media or politicians, but give them a little effing credit. Softer to bite?! Smaller packaging to combat obesity?!!!
Hadn’t these marketing rocket scientists ever heard of New Coke? Take a product that holds the biggest market share and is almost universally loved by the public, then tweak it into something that utterly sucks to try and make a few extra mill (mere pocket change when added to the millions in profit made each year already).
I’m not sure if the recipe has reverted back to the old or they’ve just removed the palm oil. I have doubts about whether it tastes as good as before. I’ve already developed a taste for the superior Whittakers, so that may be the reason.
Other brands? Lindt I find vastly overrated in plain block form. It seems that people think swirly ornate writing and a made in Switzerland label makes it good quality. Nestle is sickly sweet. Red Tulip make the best easter eggs. IMHO…
September 17th, 2009 at 8:40 am (Quote)
Last I heard they’ve removed the oil and gone back to a cocoa butter recipe but I’m not sure if the level of cocoa butter was the same as it was before, I haven’t dared to try a block yet. One bitten, twice… well there is no twice in chocolate land.
Whittikers and Aldi Belgium Chocolatuer seem to be the choice for cheapish chocolate. I lean towards the Aldi stuff although having said that I haven’t been into an Aldi in about a month thanks to Costco.
Hey I just realised I haven’t had chocolate in about a month either!