Who Owns Cadbury?
Cadbury is owned by Mondelēz International, Inc., the US-based global food and snacking company. Kraft Foods acquired Cadbury in 2010, and Cadbury became part of Mondelēz International when Kraft Foods reorganised in 2012. Mondelēz continues to list Cadbury among its major chocolate brands.
Cadbury therefore remains a British-founded brand with major UK operations, but its ultimate corporate parent is the American-listed Mondelēz International group.
Who owns Cadbury today?
The ultimate parent behind Cadbury is Mondelēz International, Inc. Mondelēz is a publicly traded company whose Class A shares are listed on Nasdaq under the ticker MDLZ, so there is no single individual who owns the whole Cadbury business. Mondelēz itself is owned collectively by its shareholders.
Mondelēz explicitly includes Cadbury and Cadbury Dairy Milk within its brand portfolio. Its other major brands include Oreo, Ritz, Milka and Toblerone. The company reported approximately $38.5 billion in net revenue for 2025 and operates across more than 150 countries.
The simplest ownership chain is therefore:
Cadbury → Mondelēz International, Inc. → public shareholders
The position can look more complicated in UK company records because individual Cadbury businesses, production companies and holding companies remain registered under several different legal names.
Is Cadbury owned by Mondelēz?
Yes. Mondelēz International is the corporate group that owns Cadbury.
Mondelēz’s own Cadbury brand page states that Cadbury became part of what is now Mondelēz International in 2010. Cadbury’s UK website also explains that the business joined Kraft Foods in 2010 before Kraft created the Mondelēz International business in 2012.
This distinction matters because Cadbury is a brand, while Mondelēz International is the ultimate parent company. Different subsidiaries within the Mondelēz group may manufacture products, own particular intellectual-property rights or operate websites without changing the overall ownership of the Cadbury brand.
Does Kraft still own Cadbury?
Not in the way the question is usually understood today.
Kraft Foods acquired Cadbury in 2010, taking control of Cadbury plc in February of that year. By 29 March 2010, the acquisition process had resulted in all Cadbury shares being acquired under Kraft’s offer.
The important change came in 2012.
On 1 October 2012, Kraft Foods Inc. separated its North American grocery business into an independent company called Kraft Foods Group, Inc. At the same time, the original Kraft Foods Inc. changed its corporate name to Mondelēz International, Inc. Cadbury remained with that global snacks business.
So it is misleading to say simply that “Kraft owns Cadbury” today. Kraft bought Cadbury, but the company that acquired it subsequently became Mondelēz International.
Some UK subsidiaries still contain Kraft Foods in their registered company names. That is a legacy of the group’s corporate history and does not mean that Cadbury has moved away from Mondelēz.
Who owns Cadbury in the UK?
UK company records add another layer to the ownership structure.
Cadbury UK Limited, company number 00155256, remains an active private limited company registered at Bournville Place, Bournville Lane, Birmingham. Companies House records its principal activity as the manufacture of cocoa and chocolate confectionery.
Companies House currently records Kraft Foods UK IP & Production Holdings Limited as the person with significant control over Cadbury UK Limited. The filing states that the holding company controls 75% or more of the shares and voting rights and has the right to appoint or remove directors.
Kraft Foods UK IP & Production Holdings Limited is itself an active UK company registered at Cadbury House in Uxbridge.
This does not contradict the fact that Mondelēz owns Cadbury. It reflects the legal structure through which businesses and assets can sit beneath an ultimate corporate parent.
It is therefore useful to distinguish between:
- Brand owner and ultimate corporate group: Mondelēz International
- UK Cadbury company: Cadbury UK Limited
- Direct controlling entity recorded for Cadbury UK Limited: Kraft Foods UK IP & Production Holdings Limited
- Website operator: the Cadbury UK terms identify Mondelēz Europe Services GmbH – UK Branch as the company operating the site.
These entities perform different legal and operational roles within the wider business.
Is Cadbury still a British company?
Cadbury is British in origin and continues to have significant UK operations, but it is not an independently British-owned group.
John Cadbury started the business in Birmingham in 1824, initially selling cocoa and drinking chocolate from his shop in Bull Street. Cadbury later became one of Britain’s best-known confectionery businesses and developed its famous Bournville site in Birmingham.
Today, Cadbury UK Limited is still a registered English company and its registered office remains in Bournville. However, the ultimate parent behind the Cadbury brand is Mondelēz International, a US-headquartered public company.
It is therefore most accurate to describe Cadbury as a British-founded chocolate brand owned by the multinational Mondelēz International group.
Who owns Cadbury Dairy Milk?
Cadbury Dairy Milk is part of the Cadbury portfolio owned by Mondelēz International.
Mondelēz identifies Cadbury Dairy Milk alongside brands such as Milka and Toblerone in its current corporate materials. Cadbury’s official history records the launch of Dairy Milk in 1905.
Individual trademarks, product registrations and commercial agreements may be held through particular group companies, so the legal owner shown against a specific trademark does not always have to be the ultimate parent company.
For a consumer asking who ultimately sits behind Cadbury Dairy Milk, however, the answer is Mondelēz International.
Who owns and operates Cadbury World?
Cadbury World is an important example of why brand ownership and operating rights are not always the same thing.
In 2022, Mondelēz International entered into an agreement with Merlin Entertainments under which Merlin took responsibility for the day-to-day operation of Cadbury World in the UK and received rights to use the Cadbury World brand for the attraction.
That agreement does not mean Merlin bought the Cadbury chocolate brand.
Mondelēz remains the corporate owner behind Cadbury, while Merlin operates Cadbury World under the relevant commercial and brand-licensing arrangement.
How did Cadbury’s ownership change?
The Cadbury family
Cadbury began as an independent family business when John Cadbury opened his Birmingham shop in 1824. His sons Richard and George Cadbury later took over the business and played a major role in its expansion.
Over time, Cadbury developed from a family-run manufacturer into a large international confectionery company.
Kraft Foods acquired Cadbury in 2010
The biggest modern change in Cadbury’s ownership came in 2010, when Kraft Foods acquired Cadbury plc.
Kraft announced on 2 February 2010 that it had acquired control after shareholders representing more than 71% of Cadbury shares accepted its final offer. The remaining shares were subsequently acquired through the takeover process.
Cadbury therefore stopped being an independent publicly traded company.
Cadbury became part of Mondelēz in 2012
Two years later, Kraft reorganised its business.
Kraft Foods Inc. spun off its North American grocery operations as Kraft Foods Group and renamed the remaining global snacks company Mondelēz International, Inc. Cadbury formed part of the business that remained with Mondelēz.
That is why the answer to “who owns Cadbury?” changed from Kraft Foods in 2010 to Mondelēz International from 2012 onwards, even though there was not a separate sale of Cadbury between those two companies.
Does the Cadbury family still own Cadbury?
No. The Cadbury family no longer controls the Cadbury business.
The company developed from the business established by John Cadbury and managed by successive members of the Cadbury family, but Cadbury eventually became a publicly traded company and was acquired by Kraft Foods in 2010.
Any historical connection between the Cadbury family and the brand should therefore be distinguished from present-day corporate ownership. The current ultimate parent is Mondelēz International.
Why do Cadbury records show different company names?
Large multinational groups commonly use numerous legal entities for manufacturing, intellectual property, employment, financing and other activities.
Cadbury is no exception.
For example, Companies House currently records active businesses including Cadbury UK Limited, Mondelēz UK Limited, Mondelēz UK Holdings & Services Limited and Mondelēz UK Confectionery Production Limited.
There are also companies in the structure that retain Kraft-era names.
A company appearing on packaging, a website, a trademark filing or Companies House record may therefore be the manufacturer, licence holder, direct shareholder or operator rather than the ultimate parent.
For the general ownership question, the key point remains that Cadbury sits within the Mondelēz International group.
How can you verify who owns Cadbury?
Ownership can change, so the most reliable approach is to check current official records rather than rely solely on older articles.
For Cadbury, useful sources include Mondelēz International’s corporate and investor-relations pages, the official Cadbury website and Companies House records for relevant UK companies.
Companies House is particularly useful when checking a specific legal entity such as Cadbury UK Limited. Its register can show the company’s current status, officers, filing history and persons with significant control. However, a direct shareholder or person with significant control is not always the same entity as the ultimate global parent.
Trademark records can also help identify which group company holds rights to a particular name or mark. For example, a 2026 UK Intellectual Property Office journal entry for a Cadbury-related confectionery mark identifies Cadbury UK Limited as the applicant.
That does not by itself determine ownership of the entire Cadbury business; trademark ownership, company ownership and ultimate corporate control are separate questions.
FAQs
Who is the current owner of Cadbury?
Cadbury is owned by Mondelēz International, Inc., the global food and snacking company that also owns brands including Oreo, Milka and Toblerone.
Is Cadbury owned by an American company?
Yes. Cadbury is a British-founded brand, but its ultimate parent, Mondelēz International, is a US-headquartered public company whose shares trade on Nasdaq under the ticker MDLZ.
Did Kraft buy Cadbury?
Yes. Kraft Foods acquired control of Cadbury in 2010. Kraft Foods Inc. was subsequently renamed Mondelēz International in 2012 after its North American grocery business was separated.
Does Kraft still own Cadbury?
Cadbury is not owned by the separate Kraft Foods Group created in the 2012 corporate split. The original Kraft Foods Inc. changed its name to Mondelēz International, and Cadbury remained within that business.
Who owns Cadbury Dairy Milk?
Cadbury Dairy Milk is part of the Cadbury brand portfolio ultimately owned by Mondelēz International. Mondelēz lists Cadbury Dairy Milk among its major chocolate brands.
Who owns Cadbury UK Limited?
Companies House records Kraft Foods UK IP & Production Holdings Limited as the person with significant control over Cadbury UK Limited, with control of 75% or more of its shares and voting rights. Cadbury forms part of the wider Mondelēz International group.
Does Merlin Entertainments own Cadbury?
No. Merlin Entertainments operates Cadbury World in the UK under an agreement with Mondelēz International that includes brand-usage rights for the attraction. This does not make Merlin the owner of the Cadbury chocolate brand.
Is Cadbury still made in Britain?
Cadbury continues to have manufacturing operations associated with its historic Bournville base in Birmingham. Companies House records Cadbury UK Limited at Bournville and classifies its business as the manufacture of cocoa and chocolate confectionery.
Is Cadbury still owned by the Cadbury family?
No. The Cadbury family no longer controls the business. Cadbury was acquired by Kraft Foods in 2010 and is now part of Mondelēz International.
Ownership structures can change over time. For the latest position on a specific Cadbury company, trademark or operating entity, check the relevant Companies House, UK Intellectual Property Office and official Mondelēz records.