Glenorchy City Council has approved the $150 million Chocolate Experience at Cadbury in Hobart, clearing the way for a project that will put Tasmania on the map and attract thousands of additional visitors per year to the state.
The Experience, at the historic Cadbury factory site in Claremont, is forecast to welcome 431,000 visitors a year, inject over $120 million into the Tasmanian economy annually, and support more than 300 construction jobs and over 200 ongoing roles.
“This is a huge win for Tasmania and for Claremont. It represents a generational boost for the local economy, creating jobs, attracting investment, and helping move Tasmania’s visitor economy to the next level. Securing Development Approval has taken years of working closely with the local community, Council and Cadbury, and it’s fantastic to see all that hard work starting to pay off,” developer Simon Currant said.
“From the moment visitors arrive, this will be unlike any chocolate attraction in the world. It will be an innovative, immersive and deeply emotive experience that uses storytelling and technology to bring the magic of chocolate-making to life. It will be full of surprise, nostalgia, creativity and joy and, of course, there will be plenty of chocolate along the way. It is one Tasmanians will be proud of and one I’m privileged to help deliver.”
Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelez International, closed the factory’s visitor centre in 2015.
Deliver on brand Tassie
Tourism Industry Council Tasmania CEO Amy Hills said that in order for Tasmania to remain competitive as a visitor destination, it needed to support the type of experience, innovation and creativity that the Experience offers.
“For our industry to go from strength to strength we need to keep innovating and keep investing in attractions. This is a next-level concept that is going to make Tasmania the must-do destination that it deserves to be,” Hills said.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tell the Cadbury story properly and authentically, and it will lift the whole industry with it. Importantly, it will cater to a variety of visitors and deliver on the Tassie brand promise ten-fold.”
President of Mondelēz International for Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, Toby Smith, said Cadbury was proud to support the Experience as brand partner.
“Cadbury’s story and Tasmania’s story have been intertwined for more than a century and this project will bring that story to life for hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, and help write the next chapter for Claremont, for Cadbury and for Tasmanian tourism.”
Melbourne-based investment bank Kidder Williams is the sole financial advisor raising capital for the Experience. Kidder Williams is in the market and engaging with interested parties, with receipt of Development Approval an important step towards securing capital.
Ninety five per cent of the project cost will be privately funded, with existing government support providing the confidence for its future success.
The project is due to be complete by September 2028.
