{"id":2761,"date":"2025-12-09T12:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T12:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/thehockenblog\/?p=2761"},"modified":"2025-12-10T08:03:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T08:03:52","slug":"hudson-and-cadbury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/thehockenblog\/hudson-and-cadbury\/","title":{"rendered":"Hudson and Cadbury records made available"},"content":{"rendered":"

Post researched and written by David Murray, Archivist<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Packing Moro bars, 1991. Ref: MS-5400\/0960\/003.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Several years ago, Hocken collected a large quantity of archives from the old Cadbury factory in Dunedin. We are pleased to share the news that these are now catalogued<\/a> and available for viewing in our reading room. We are also in the process of putting selected images from the collection into our Digital Collections<\/a> site. The records relate to R. Hudson & Co. and its successors Cadbury Fry Hudson (from 1930), Cadbury Schweppes Hudson (from 1973), Cadbury Confectionery Ltd (from 1991), and Cadbury Ltd (from 2009). They add to a smaller collection received in 1984.<\/p>\n

The Cadbury factory closed in 2018 with the loss of more than 350 jobs. It was the 150th anniversary year of local operations, which began with a biscuit factory opened by Richard Hudson in 1868. The loss has been felt deeply. Production shifted to Australia, and almost all of the old factory buildings are gone.<\/p>\n

Hocken is privileged to hold a permanent archive of the business. Particularly significant is the record of staff activity \u2013 both work and social, over many years in the local community. We are grateful to Cadbury’s parent company, Mondel\u0113z International, for donating the bulk of the collection. Our thanks also to the former Southern District Health Board for significant additional material, and to the Ex-Cadbury Staff Group for digital photographs taken in the last months of factory operation.<\/p>\n

In 2024 and 2025, the records of Hudson, Cadbury, and associated brands were arranged, described, and listed. They take up nearly 25 metres of shelving and are listed on the H\u0101kena catalogue (ref: ARC-0977)<\/a> as over 1300 issuable items. The collection is particularly rich in photographs (over 10,000!) and advertising, including sales aides and files and albums of packaging. There are directors\u2019 minutes and some other administrative and financial records, although only a little in the way of correspondence or subject files. There are still more wrappers, posters etc. yet to be processed, in the separate Hocken Ephemera Collection.<\/p>\n

It was my pleasure to carry out the arrangement and description, although often somewhat wistfully as I am diabetic!<\/p>\n

Below is a sample of images from the collection, and an example from the film advertisements. The ad is fun but quirky \u2013 I wonder how much use a conductor waving a baton would be to a choir of people wearing blindfolds. Can anyone tell us his name?<\/p>\n

In coming weeks and in the New Year we will be adding more images to our Digital Collections site. Much of the material is out of copyright, and much other content may be used under a Creative Commons BY-NC (non-commercial) license, where indicated.<\/p>\n

The business went through many administrative changes through the years, from R. Hudson & Co. through to ownership by Mondel\u0113z. For more detail of this sometimes confusing administrative history see the summary at the very end of this post.<\/p>\n