I’m real life Willy Wonka who makes dreams come true at UK’s sweetest theme park & there’s one major perk of the job
AS Easter nears, if anyone can unwrap the secrets of our best- loved chocolate treats it’s real-life Willy Wonka Gerrard Baldwin.
He has spent 35 years at the helm of Cadbury World, the famous attraction in Birmingham that has pulled in 18million visitors since it opened in 1990.
And in so doing he has met famous names from Peter Andre, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin to Princess Anne.
Gerrard, 65, who has just retired after almost five decades with Cadbury, lifted the lid on the sweet treats — and the VIP celebrity visits.
The dad of two from Birmingham said: “A huge amount of research and testing goes into creating a new bar.
“The chocolatiers create flavours then taste-test them with the public, and if they are liked it becomes a product.
“I was always among the first to get an opportunity to taste them and I’ve always known if something was going to be successful or not.
“When Kraft took over the business in 2010 everyone said things would change and they did — for the better. They brought different brands on to the market place like Oreo and Marvellous Creations.
“Oreo divides everyone — some people like it while others don’t.”
“Marvellous Creations has jelly and popping candy — it is one of Cadbury’s most popular products today.
Gerrard reckons people’s tastes change as they get older.
He said: “I now eat Bournville more than milk chocolate but if someone opened a box of Heroes at a meeting, I’d have a mountain of wrappers beside me by the end!”
As general manger, Gerrard was lucky enough to meet a host of celebrity visitors over the years.
He recalled: “Ex-PM John Major was our first visitor when he opened the attraction and he was a really lovely, chatty man who was great with the other guests.”
Peter Andre caused a stir when he took daughter Princess and son Junior, then aged three and five, to the attraction in 2010.
He had recently appeared in ITV reality series Katie & Peter with his then-wife Katie Price, who he had since split with.
Gerrard explained: “Peter Andre’s visit created quite a buzz.
“News got out on social media and the next minute hundreds of people arrived. You couldn’t move for visitors.”
But such an impromptu trip wouldn’t do for another VIP visitor.
Gerrard said: “Princess Anne came in 1997 and there was a lot of security and planning involved.
“She was a delight to have around. We made a portrait plaque for her out of chocolate and she absolutely loved it.”
Gwyneth Paltrow was still married to Coldplay singer Chris Martin when they visited in 2005.
Gerrard said: “It was Chris’ birthday and my team gently approached him to sing Happy Birthday, which appeared to go down well.
“He seemed to enjoy it but the staff were a bit embarrassed performing in front of a major singer.
“Adele has also been to have a look around when she came to perform at Birmingham’s NEC in 2016.
“She was really pleasant and even gave us a special mention during her concert.”
Gerrard joined Cadbury’s in 1976 as a clerk and later became the youngest-ever manager on the company’s training scheme.
He revealed he had no idea what to expect when Cadbury World first opened its doors.
He said: “We’d had a month of staff training, going through everything, and consumer expectations were really high.
“Then, in the first ten days of opening, we had more than 20,000 people through the doors and since then 18 million have visited.
“It’s been a great success and I’m so happy to have spent my career here.”
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