Cadbury, the famous chocolate maker, has lost its royal warrant for the first time in 170 years. The company, based in Birmingham, was granted its first royal warrant by Queen Victoria in 1854 as a supplier of chocolate and cocoa. However, under King Charles, the brand has been dropped from the list of royal warrant holders.
Mondelez International, the US company that owns Cadbury, expressed disappointment at the loss. A royal warrant is a prestigious endorsement granted to companies that provide goods or services to the monarchy. It allows them to use the royal coat of arms on their products.
This decision is part of a wider update to the royal warrant list, which includes 386 companies that previously held warrants from Queen Elizabeth II, such as John Lewis, Heinz, and Nestle. New additions include Moet and Chandon, Weetabix, and chocolate makers Bendicks and Prestat Ltd.
The royal warrant has long been seen as a symbol of quality, with companies benefiting from the recognition. Prof David Bailey from Birmingham Business School noted that losing the warrant would mean extra costs for Cadbury, as they would need to remove the royal seal from their packaging.
Earlier this year, the B4Ukraine campaign urged King Charles to remove warrants from companies still operating in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. Both Mondelez and Unilever were among the companies affected by this request.
Cadbury, which celebrated its 200th anniversary earlier this year, has a long history in the UK, starting when John Cadbury opened his shop in 1824. The brand grew into one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world, with the iconic Bournville factory.
In 2010, Kraft acquired Cadbury in a controversial deal, and the brand later became part of Mondelez in 2012.
