Cadbury dropped from royal warrant list after 170 years

Chocolate maker Cadbury has been dropped from the list of royal warrants for the first time in 170 years.

The Birmingham-based chocolatier was awarded its first royal warrant as chocolate and cocoa manufacturers by Queen Victoria in 1854, but it has lost its royal endorsement under King Charles.

Cadbury’s US owners, Mondelez International, said it was disappointed to have been stripped of its warrant.

The King has granted royal warrants to 386 companies that previously held warrants from Queen Elizabeth II, including John Lewis, Heinz and Nestle.

Companies holding the Royal Warrant of Appointment, granted for up to five years, are recognised for providing goods or services to the monarchy.

Among the King’s new list of warrant holders are many firms selling food and drink, such as Moet and Chandon, Weetabix and chocolate makers Bendicks and Prestat Ltd.

Warrant holders are allowed to use the coat of arms of the royal they are associated with on packaging, as part of advertising or on stationery.

Earlier this year, the King was urged by campaign group B4Ukraine to withdraw warrants from companies “still operating in Russia” after the invasion of Ukraine, naming Mondelez and consumer goods firm Unilever, which has also been stripped of the endorsement.

“Whilst we are disappointed to be one of hundreds of other businesses and brands in the UK to not have a new warrant awarded, we are proud to have previously held one, and we fully respect the decision.” a Mondelez spokesperson said.

Unilever added it was “very proud” of the long history its brands had supplying the royal household, most recently receiving a warrant from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Prof David Bailey, from Birmingham Business School, said the decision to strip the chocolate manufacturer of its warrant would affect its costs, as the brand would have to remove it from all packaging.

A royal warrant was a “kind of seal of approval,” which was thought to bring significant benefits to the UK economy, he added.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Prof Bailey said British companies also benefited from being awarded the royal endorsement.

“What is a royal warrant for, if it isn’t to help British jobs and British production?” he asked.

The British chocolate giant celebrated its 200th anniversary earlier this year, after founder John Cadbury opened a grocer’s shop selling cocoa and drinking chocolate in Birmingham on 4 March 1824.

The brand expanded when his sons took over the business, eventually building the Bournville factory which became the biggest cocoa manufacturer in the world.

US food company Kraft took over the brand in a controversial takeover in 2010, with Cadbury going on to become part of its Mondelez division in 2012.