Hayleigh Curtis is a “chocolate scientist” working for Cadbury in the innovation kitchen at Bournville, the home of Cadbury. Her job is to taste chocolate and help create new flavors.

  • Curtis’s taste buds are so valuable to the company that they have been insured for £1 million with Lloyd’s of London. This is because her role in developing new chocolate flavors is crucial for Cadbury’s global operations.
  • The Cadbury Innovation team, of which Ms. Curtis is a part, consists of 300 people, including inventors, master chocolatiers, and engineers. This team is responsible for the creation and development of every new chocolate product for Mondelēz International, the parent company of Cadbury.
  • The insurance policy may have stipulations regarding what Curtis can and cannot eat to maintain her sense of taste. For example, the policy prohibits her from eating extremely spicy foods or engaging in activities like sword swallowing that could damage her taste buds.
  • The sources liken Curtis’s taste buds to a Premier League footballer’s legs, emphasizing their importance to her work and the company’s success.
  • The process of developing new chocolate flavors involves significant scientific research and testing, beyond simply tasting the chocolate. Curtis and her team experiment with new flavors and combinations, drawing on knowledge from Cadbury’s archives. They also consider factors like mouthfeel and the melting temperature of the chocolate.

Some of the quotes:

  • “This is a really exciting day for me. I’ve grown up with Cadbury and it has always played a really important role in my life, so it’s great to be part of a team that sit at the global headquarters for chocolate invention at Mondelēz International.”
  • “There is a lot of science that sits behind our chocolate innovation – from mouth feel to melting temperatures of chocolate – so with my tastes buds safeguarded I look forward to creating lots more deliciously tasting chocolate for years to come."
  • “Taste buds are as important to Cadbury as legs are to a top footballer and it seems like Hayleigh has been doing a great job creating new flavours with the team."
  • “The policy Mondelēz International has taken out with us on behalf of Cadbury demonstrates just how important innovation is to their brand and after seeing what Hayleigh gets up to in Bournville, we’re even more excited to see the new flavours on the horizon.”
  • “Hayleigh and the Innovation team, made up of inventors, master chocolatiers and engineers, play a key role in making this happen. Every new chocolate product created by Mondelēz International, anywhere in the world, starts its life in Bournville – the home of Cadbury – and inventors like Hayleigh are vital in making sure that they taste great above all else.”
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