Chocolate tasters join Cadbury owner's research hub

Emma Anderton did not initially believe that chocolate tasting was a real job

Forty eight chocolate tasters have been taken on at a new £3.3m centre set up to help shape the future of brands including Cadbury, Toblerone and Milka.

Emma Anderton, who works two hours a day for four days a week as one of the tasters, or sensory panellists, said she "stumbled across" the unusual job at Mondelēz International's Consumer Research Centre at Cadbury's home in Bournville, Birmingham.

"My brother-in-law told me about a job opening... I didn't really believe in when he said it was chocolate tasting," she said.

The firm said advanced technologies, including augmented reality and high-tech development kitchens at the site meant it could experiment with new recipes.

Mondelēz said the new centre brought together its "sensory and consumer research capabilities under one roof".

Visitors to the new centre saw chocolate samples being prepared in one of the kitchens

The new facility also includes areas for focus groups and studies.

Meanwhile, the chocolate tasters provide feedback on aspects including taste and aroma and "will play a crucial role in product development", the company said.

"I thought when we started it would be your opinion, but it's not. It's testing all sorts of things, so yes, it is very thorough," Ms Anderton said.

Staff at the centre told the BBC technicians worked in "sensory kitchens" and prepared chocolate samples which they passed through a hatch to tasters who sat in quiet booths with their note books and pens.

Christopher Rudling, another chocolate taster, explained they would first open the lid of the container and "give it a sniff" and take a note of the aromas.

They also note down the product's textures and flavours, as well as the after taste.

"Once that's done then we'll wait for five minutes and during that period we will cleanse our palette with a cracker and a swig of water ready for the next sample," said Christopher.

Christopher Rudling is among 48 chocolate tasters at the new research centre

Louise Stigant, Mondelēz senior vice-president and managing director, said the facility would "ensure that we can continue adapting to evolving consumer trends and expanding choices for consumers, as well as enable us to continue to innovate and lead the future of snacking".

The centre, which opened last month, is based at the company's existing centre for excellence and chocolate research and development, where it said all its chocolate products are first conceived.

The chocolate sample is passed to the taster through a hatch from the kitchen