Founded in 1824, the candymaker Cadbury produces roughly a million chocolate crème eggs a day, year-round, at its factory in Bournville, England.
Delve into some chocolate history, and find out why chocolate eggs sold to Americans are different from those sold to consumers in other countries.
Here’s the scoop: In the U.K., Cadbury Creme Eggs are made with Dairy Milk chocolate, which uses liquid milk and cocoa butter for a richer, creamier taste. But in the U.S., Hershey holds the rights to produce Cadbury products. That means American Creme Eggs are made with a different milk chocolate formula—less creamy, slightly sweeter, and not quite the same as the British version.
The divide got sharper in 2015, when Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelez, confirmed that U.K. Creme Eggs would no longer use Dairy Milk shells, switching to a standard milk chocolate. Fans were outraged, but the eggs remained a seasonal staple. Meanwhile, U.S. import restrictions mean British Creme Eggs can’t be sold stateside, so American fans can’t get the “real” U.K. version.
Despite the recipe drama, Creme Eggs remain one of the most beloved Easter candies worldwide. In fact, surveys have ranked them as the #1 Easter treat in nearly 30 U.S. states.
So whether you’re cracking open a Hershey-made egg in the States or a Dairy Milk shell in Britain, you’re biting into a tradition that’s been around for nearly a century.
Get your chocolate egg candy tradition on!
Quick Fact Box
- Founded: 1824 by John Cadbury
- Factory: Bournville, England
- Daily output: ~1 million Creme Eggs
- U.K. recipe: Dairy Milk chocolate shell
- U.S. recipe: Hershey milk chocolate shell
- Import status: U.K. eggs banned from U.S. sales since 2015
