Year 8 Geographers' chocolate education

On Tuesday 2 February Year 8 students travelled to Birmingham to visit Cadbury World – offering a real-life example of the theory learned in their recent Geography studies on the effect of geographical location on economic accomplishment (as well as the chance to find out more about chocolate).

The group heard about the importance of selecting the

best location for a factory. The site in Bourneville being close to the river Bourne (hence the name); near a railway providing access to Liverpool’s sugar cane and cocoa imports from the West Indies; close to the canal, enabling fresh milk to be brought in frequently in the 1880s (before refrigeration was available); and the appealing location (in the fresh air beyond the industrial areas of Birmingham) encouraging workers to move to live on site, all combine to create an ideal location for economic accomplishment.

The Cadbury brothers who founded the company were Quakers and so, based on their belief that all people are created equal before God, prioritised their workers’ equality. Employees enjoyed good working conditions, and access to hospitals, education and leisure facilities – such as swimming pools and sports grounds. In these conditions the workers flourished and, as result, so did the business.

The expected world-wide shortage of cocoa, by the year 2020, was explained, and the group unanimously decided to enjoy chocolate while still able to, as bars are set to get smaller and much more expensive!