Skip navigation
Home page
Site map
Advanced Search
Terms of use
Feedback form
Accessibility details
Report & Accounts 2005

Description of Business


Our origins date back to the founding of Schweppes, a mineral water business, by Jacob Schweppe in 1783, and the opening of a shop which sold cocoa products, by John Cadbury in 1824. The two businesses were merged in 1969 to create Cadbury Schweppes plc. Many of our key brands are long established, having been launched in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most notably Cadbury Dairy Milk, Dr Pepper and Halls.

I'm interested in...

Confectionery Brands

Brand Product Date Launched
Cadbury Cocoa Powder 1824
Bassett’s Sugar Confectionery 1842
Maynards Sugar Confectionery 1880
Halls Cough Tablets Cough Drop 1893
Dentyne Chewing Gum 1899
Cadbury Dairy Milk Milk Chocolate Bar 1905
Chiclets Sugar-coated Gum 1914
Clorets Breath Freshener 1951
Stimorol Chewing Gum 1956
Trident Sugar-free Gum 1962
Bubblicious Bubble Gum 1977
Sour Patch Kids Sugar Confectionery 1985

back to top


Beverages Brands

Brand Product Date Launched
Schweppes Carbonated Water 1783
Mott’s Apple Juice 1842
Schweppes Tonic Water Quinine-based Carbonated Drink 1870
Dr Pepper Carbonated Soft Drink 1885
7 UP Carbonated Soft Drink 1929
Hawaiian Punch Non-carbonated Soft Drink 1937
Clamato Tomato-based Drink 1969
Snapple Non-carbonated Soft Drink 1972

Over the last 25 years we have significantly changed our geographic and product participation within the confectionery and beverages markets, mainly through a programme of acquisitions and disposals.

We have extended and strengthened our position in certain markets and categories where we believed we could generate faster growth at higher margins, and exited other markets and categories where we felt we had no sustainable competitive advantage and where a sale created value for our shareowners.

The most significant strategic moves over this period have been:
  • 1986 and 1987 – sale of the food & beverage and health & household divisions
  • 1995 – purchase of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, a carbonated soft drinks business mainly in the US
  • 1997 – sale of Coca-Cola & Schweppes Beverages, a soft drink bottling operation, in the UK
  • 1999 – sale of beverage brands in approximately 160 markets around the world
  • 2000 – purchase of Snapple, a non-carbonated premium beverages business mainly in the US
  • 2003 – purchase of the Adams confectionery business, a gum and medicated sugar confectionery business with strong positions in North, Central and South America
  • 2006 – sale of Europe Beverages
On 2 February 2006, we announced that we had completed the sale of the Europe Beverages business. Following the disposal of Europe Beverages, we have four regional operating units: Americas Beverages; Americas Confectionery; Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA), which sells predominantly confectionery; and Asia Pacific, selling both beverages and confectionery (see Asia Pacific table).

We announced in October 2005 that we intend to dispose of a number of small non-core businesses and brands over the next two years with estimated proceeds of between £250 million and £300 million. In 2005, we sold Holland House Cooking Wines, with Grandma's Molasses following in early 2006. The combined proceeds were £37 million. On 8 February 2006, we announced that we intend to sell Bromor Foods, our South African beverages business.