Bringing the Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff Bar to Life

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Kieran Sullivan, Business Development Project Coordinator, Bournville

Connor Gould, Brand Manager, Cadbury

Padraig Costello, Section Manager, Legacy Program

Bringing the Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff bar to life was more than just a product launch; it was a celebration of what we can achieve when diverse teams come together with a shared purpose. From Research, Development & Quality (RDQ) to Manufacturing and Marketing, this project showcased the power of cross-functional collaboration, agility, and shared ownership in delivering exciting innovation for our consumers. We caught up with a few people behind the scenes to hear how they worked together to make it happen, and what this success means for the future of innovation at Mondelēz International.

What was the most exciting part of bringing Cadbury Biscoff to life on the production line?

Kieran: When Dirk, our CEO, originally announced that we were entering into a partnership with Lotus Biscoff, there was so much excitement across the business about what we could deliver and which plant would get the opportunity to produce the first Biscoff collaboration for the UK Market.

Being able to deliver the first Biscoff product in the Cadbury portfolio here in Bournville was a huge honour for the site and a testament to our ability to deliver a fantastic product under an extremely challenging timeline – this included moving from a project kick-off meeting to a line trial inside 3 weeks which is almost unheard of, but perfectly demonstrates how agile & dynamic the team is.

Seeing the new design wrap and outers with the Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff Brand on-site and seeing the eye-catching packaging running on the packing line during the first production was a proud moment, and finally brought the Biscoff Brand into the Cadbury family. Being part of the team that implemented this future favourite out on the production line and producing and shipping vast amounts of this ground-breaking tablet to all parts of our network was amazing. Knowing that there is such a huge demand for this product, and that our consumers cannot wait for it to hit the shelves, is a fantastic feeling.

Our production teams absolutely love getting involved in NPDs (new product developments) and new launches. I’m so proud to be part of the team that brought the Biscoff Tablet to the Bournville plant and to see the huge boost it has given to the Line Teams to have this high-profile product as part of our portfolio.

How did the collaboration with RDQ and Marketing help you deliver a high-quality product at scale?

Connor: Launching any new Cadbury offering is exciting as you have a huge responsibility to deliver a great product into the market - and this time the responsibility was doubled with two such well-loved brands - such a high level of expectation to take into consideration!

A great working relationship across the functions is absolutely essential to have a chance of delivering the level of product and scale required for the CDM Biscoff Tablet; it does not happen without that collaboration. When you can be open and honest about expectations, as well as production capabilities, you can quickly agree on a route forward. The cross-functional team was decisive and wasted little time in the process. There was excellent communication across the project team which was crucial in hitting many project milestones.

RDQ worked really well with the Manufacturing Team during trials and first production to ensure a great product while also considering the impact on the Production area and the Marketing team were agile in making business decisions on pack designs, tablet weights, etc. That could easily have derailed the timeline and they were proactive and supportive at all stages of the project. I would like to think that the collaboration worked well due to the working relations developed over time with new and old colleagues who are super motivated with a shared ambition to deliver the best product possible; the proof is in the great NPD that we delivered.

How did you bring the story of Cadbury Biscoff to life for consumers?

Connor: Up until now, snacking fans were forced to choose between these two icons, but now, for the first time, we are bringing them together. We tapped into a new generation of fans that embraced this 'bothist' lifestyle, rejecting the notion of being forced to choose. The result was a campaign platform - have it both ways. We brought this to life with a creator and influencer campaign, encouraging the spread of bothism and driving trial of our new Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff.

How did working closely with RDQ and Manufacturing affect your campaign approach?

Padraig: These are the functions that are the lifeblood of Cadbury. They blend both the cutting edge and the raw passion that has consistently been delivered to our consumers.

The recipe development achieved the perfect blend of the classic creamy Cadbury Dairy Milk with the iconic caramelised crunch of Biscoff - delivering for our consumers and giving us the strongest possible proposition to frame the launch around. The close collaboration we had on this project allowed us to deliver high complexity with ease.

How was this project delivered so quickly?

Padraig: The beauty about this amazing partnership is the simplicity, speed, and ownership the project team has shown. We have used a very small team of cross-functional experts working with maximum creativity and in excellent partnership with our friends at Lotus to just about break every record in delivering the best possible consumer experience.

What’s next?

Padraig: There are many products in the pipeline to ensure we delight more consumers across our markets and our brands. We know from initial research that consumers love the direction we’re going and we’re very excited to see consumers are even starting to create their own innovations on social media already. Stay tuned for more news coming soon!

Padraig, Connor, and Kieran showed you a glimpse of what’s possible when passionate teams across Manufacturing, Marketing, and RDQ come together at Mondelēz International. If you’re excited by fast-pace innovation, bold ideas, and delivering joy to millions of consumers, we’d love to hear from you, so don’t wait and join us!