And, with time running out before a June 2 deadline, Dunedin South MP Clare Curran yesterday urged Dunedin business people to "seize the opportunity" to continue producing the prized brands in the city.
Ms Curran was "certainly very, very keen", for "anyone with an interest to come forward", given the "very small window of opportunity" to do so.
Mondelez International had earlier announced it was closing its Cadbury chocolate factory in Dunedin early next year.
Doing so would cost about 360 jobs. Mondelez issued a statement after a recent "very positive" working party meeting, which included the Dunedin City Council, city MPs and several other groups.
Latest discussion focused on a request for "information and documentation" provided to potential manufacturers who had already expressed interest in working with Mondelez, the company said.
This documentation was also available to any investors interested in establishing a facility to undertake the work in Dunedin, Mondelez said.
Mondelez needed to hear from interested parties by June 2 so they could properly detail a "seamless transition" between companies before production ended next March.
Ms Curran encouraged innovative Dunedin people who were prepared to invest in keeping some Cadbury jobs in the city to step forward.
The working party was keen for some of the work to remain in Dunedin, but chances had to be quickly seized, she said.
She was happy to be contacted by any interested party and others on the working party would also offer support, she said.
Contacted yesterday, Rainbow Confectionery general manager Brent Baillie, of Oamaru, said his firm was already busy but remained keen to manufacture the sweets.
