[1930s CADBURY CHOCOLATE FACTORY AT BOURNVILLE UNITED KINGDOM]
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Year Published: 1930s
Creator: Cadbury
Description: This old film, likely from the 1930s, shows the Cadbury factory at Bournville and the model village built by George Cadbury, as well as the production of Cadbury’s famous Bourn-vita chocolate malt drink mix. The film opens with what appears to be a grandfather sitting down at a table with his grandson to tell him about the history of Cadbury. Viewers see a field in Bournville, near Birmingham, which is apparently where the Cadbury family built their factory. Illustrations show the evolution of the Cadbury factory at Bournville (01:48), showing the facility in 1879, 1899, and 1932. The presumed father walks into the house and joins the grandfather and boy in their conversation (02:24). The film then cuts to a shot of milk cans being loaded onto a conveyer belt at the factory (02:54). Cows graze in a pastureland. A man uses a portable milker machine on a cow (03:22). There is a shot of a small village with classic English cottages (03:55), presumably the model village established by George Cadbury next to the Bournville factory. Milk is shown running over cooling machines (04:15) and being transferred into holding tanks. A man tests a sample of milk in a laboratory. Milk is condensed as it is heated and mixed with sugar and pumped into copper condensing kettles (05:27). A man opens a valve and condensed milk pours out. The film then cuts to the boy’s mother as she leaves for her first day of work on the Bourn-vita packing floor. At the plant, women pack Bourn-vita into cartons. A man pulls eggs in large crates (06:59). Women crack the eggs into individual cups for examination. A man pulls a cart with milk canisters. A man pours ingredients into a mixer and the resulting mixture—Bourn-vita—is evaporated and put in air-tight tins. Women pack the tins in cartons (08:47). The product is packed in paper-lined tins prior to being packed into cartons (09:04). In a living room, the grandfather talks with his two grandchildren. The film concludes with crates of Bourn-vita moving down a conveyer belt to be shipped all over the world (India, the Netherlands, Argentina, Jerusalem, Egypt, and China) and people from those destinations enjoying the drink.
Transcription
[Music] the starting of milk CH ah that was a business but they didn't begin on that until they'd been nearly 20 years at bourneville and ah but I haven't told you how they came to move out there yet the brid street Factory had become much too small for such a growing business as the brothers Richard and George Cadbury had made of the firm so they had to start looking about for some new place besides it was getting all built round and they always said that for a food factory you must have clean air and open surroundings so they uh they looked around and found a place about 4 miles out of Birmingham it was lovely country sloping Midland with a little trout stream called the Bourn running through it and it was here that bournville a factory in a garden and bournville Village began to grow right in the center of England where such a factory should be it was um it was Richard tedbury himself who made the rough plans for the factory and it was only little more than six months after the first brick was laid that the Bridge Street Works were closed the demands for CB's products increased so quickly that the factory Grew From what it was in 1879 to this in 1899 and then to this in 1932 h you would think it would be big enough now wouldn't you oh but we still have to go on building that's because people want such a lot of C mil chocolate and chocolate bar it was in 1899 that the firm started making its famous milk chocolate what's that about milk chocolate I know all about that I was working at night and up until the day I retired what ni well it was like this after a few years the directors decided they should build a milk condensing Factory right among the Farms so that it should be absolutely fresh milk that should come to the condensing machines so they build the factory at night only the very best milk from the very best cows is good enough to come to night for our milk chocolate and you should see the rich pasture land they feed upon the cows that Supply the sort of milk we [Music] want it's all very up to dat the way the cows are milk and everything [Music] you see there's absolute [Music] cleanliness there's a place at Frampton on S where we have another such a lovely old village with old English [Music] Cottages it's on a canal too like night when the milk comes in large churns straight from the Farms it's first tipped out run over cooling [Music] machines [Music] and poured into special tanks each of these tanks holds 1,000 gallons milk has run through at least three sives and a filter cloth it's only kept here a very short time before it's needed and samples are taken so that it can be tested by the gerera test [Music] then the milk has to be condensed first it is heated and mixed with sugar then pumped up into the condensing kettles such huge copper kettles they are and the milk simmers inside them for over an hour by this time about 2/3 are evaporated away and the thick Rich condensed milk comes pouring out down into the room beneath into the [Music] mixer but I can't waste any more time talking I've got to go down to the works oh here's grandfather morning baby hurry up grandfa father your breakfast will be cold you're going out py yes I'm starting at the born Vita Department tomorrow and the poor woman's going to show me [Music] [Applause] r that's the new bong is a packing to cope with the demand it's the latest product of The Firm made of British eggs British malt full cream milk some chocolate it has the most nourishing and health-giving qualities first there's the eggs new laid eggs from British Farms the eggs are delivered in large crates they're broken into clean shiny [Music] cups each egg in its own cup for inspection after which they're ready to be poured into the mixer oh but there are other things as well yes fresh milk from selected British dairy [Music] farm the fresh milk is brought to the factory and churns but didn't you say there was malt too yes malt from the best British barley the Mal is brought to the factory then all these ingredients are weighed the freshest eggs full cream milk malt of the highest grade athing British and poured into the [Music] mixer the resultant mixture next goes through an evaporating process that it is only to be broken up packed into air tight tin and placed into [Music] Caron and that's what you'll start doing tomorrow these are the rooms where the born Vita is actually packed in paperline tins this is done by a very special process then the tins are brought here to be packed into cartons for [Music] dispatch and that's what I shall start doing tomorrow born v eh what if F they're all always thinking of something fresh and new and health-giving to put in the market why then never still even now their cocoa and chocolates are being dispatched all over the world and to all sorts and conditions of [Music] people [Music] la [Music] la
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