It has been seven years since the Cadbury factory doors shut in 2018, resulting in 360 job losses and ending a baking and confectionery-making era that began with Richard Hudson in the 1860s.
However, a significant donation of archives from the factory's last owner, Mondelez, to the Hocken Collections ensures the social history of the factory is not forgotten.
Hocken Collections archivist David Murray has spent about a year cataloguing the material, which offers a unique window into the lives of the workers.
“I think the really special things are the things that show the way that the factory was part of the Dunedin community.
“Both the social side and the work side, it's both really interesting from a social point of view and I think really important.”
The extensive archive includes more than 10,000 photographs, directors' minute books and ephemera ranging from Bournville ‘‘Cocoacub’’ lead figures of the 1930s to scrapbooks detailing packaging designs, such as the 1973 Easter egg range.
The archive provides an insight into not just the industrial process but the vibrant social lives of the staff.
“They used to do balls and sporting things.
“They had a marching team and they had a miniature shooting club.”
A company magazine called The Chocolate Soldier documented not only corporate developments but also social gatherings.
The archive also includes about 100 films such as early commercials, some of which will be made available on YouTube.
While some photographs have names written on the back, many faces in the crowd remain anonymous.
Mr Murray encouraged former workers and their families to visit the Hocken Collections to help identify colleagues and relatives, adding vital detail to the city's history.
While the closure of the factory was a ‘‘deeply felt loss’’ for hundreds of staff who were laid off, the archive was an enduring record of the many ways the workers were part of the Dunedin community.
