No official announcement
On October 30, the newspaper Release revealed that Cadbury Fingers, This “perfect link between the fine Mikado and the great Twix”, They have no longer been sold in France since the spring, without any official announcement. Questioned, the food giant Mondelez International, which absorbed Cadbury in 2010 and also owns, among others, LU, Toblerone, Côte d’Or and Milka, did not want to react. Nothing more than its subsidiary in the United Kingdom, responsible for the distribution of cookies in France, and which left it in the hands of Lightbody Europe, intermediary distributor of Fingers, to confirm the cessation of its marketing. Without hinting at a possible return to the shelves.
A feeling of betrayal
As in 2015 with the disappearance of Figolu, also owned by Mondelez International and put up for sale again five years later, the end of Fingers has caused a stir among nostalgic sweet tooths. “We trust industrial brands to find in each consumer experience a precise flavor standard, whose attachment is built during pleasurable experiences. “When Cadbury withdraws its Fingers without warning, the trust established with the brand is shattered.” analyzes Sophie Thiron, doctor in sociology of food and emotions from the University of Toulouse-Jean-Jaurès. “The potential ship that allowed us to travel to other times, other contexts or with people from the past has vanished” She bursts into flames. And here we are the chocolate.
A regular tea time
In 1824, Quaker John Cadbury opened a small shop in Birmingham, Great Britain, selling tea, coffee and cocoa. The latter is only consumed by the richest and does not exist in the form of tablets or cookies. In 1897, the family business, which wanted to make this exotic product accessible to the general public, offered its Fingers for the first time in assortments sold in tin boxes. It wasn’t until 1950 that these long, thin chocolate-covered biscuits, convenient to enjoy and easy to share, were marketed in suitable packets, becoming a teatime classic in the UK.
The queen’s cookies
Among the fans of Cadbury sweets was Queen Victoria, who in 1854 awarded the brand a royal order (“royal mandate”): This august promise of approval allows select companies to display the monarchy’s coat of arms on their products and advertising materials. Renewed by Elizabeth II, this seal, a real advantage in promoting sales in the United Kingdom and exports, particularly in China and Japan, will end with her death in 2022. Several Ukrainian associations then asked Charles III not to renew the precious mandate. , due to the intense economic activity of Mondelez International in Russia. Buckingham did not react publicly, but the Fingers lost their privilege in the process.
