After the triumphant national movement to reinstate the original Wispa, fans of the bubbly chocolate have gone one better today by successfully persuading Cadbury to bring back Wispa Gold for a limited run. The return comes as a result of the colossal success of Wispa’s permanent comeback in 2008 where sales exceeded all estimates after selling 41 million bars in 18 weeks, equating to nearly 4 bars per second .
Cadbury is celebrating fans’ love for Wispa by bringing back the smooth, velvety chocolate with a cheeky layer of caramel but only for a limited time. The bar will be in-store from September 14th after chocolate lovers across the country campaigned for the return of the caramel-filled favourite.
To mark the return of Wispa Gold, three lucky fans visited the Cadbury factory in Bournville this morning to officially launch the production line of the new bar. The fans were chosen to represent the thousands of Wispa fans out there without whose tireless campaigning, the limited edition return of Wispa Gold wouldn’t be possible.
Cara Stripp, Tony Halson and Ollie Emery lived the dream of chocolate lovers everywhere by going behind the scenes in Cadbury’s famous factory, Bournville, and launching the production of one of the UK’s most loved chocolate bars.
Cara, the administrator of Facebook’s ‘bring back Wispa’ group and best friends Tony and Ollie who created the popular Facebook group ‘bring back Cadbury’s Wispa Gold,’ dressed head to toe in special Wispa Gold gear to push the button and officially begin production of the limited edition Gold bars.
Cara, who works for an engineering company when she’s not overseeing the ‘bring back Wispa’ Facebook group, said: “To push the button on the production line of Wispa Gold was amazing! I can’t believe the bar is coming back, I’ve been dreaming about this moment for years!”
Tony and Ollie added: “We’ve been waiting for the day when Wispa Gold would come back ever since we campaigned to get the original Wispa back in the shops. It’s fantastic to be part of it and to actually see it happening in person!”
One of the men responsible for creating the new generation of Wispa Gold is Bournville’s
Manufacturing Manager, Warren Smith. Warren said: “As a huge fan of Wispa Gold myself, I have a vested interest in re-launching the old favourite. It’s amazing to see how many people love Wispa Gold and I feel very privileged to be involved. ”
Commenting on the return of Wispa Gold, Warren adds: “The campaign from Wispa fans to bring back the bar has been incredible. Cara, Tony and Ollie all symbolise the passion the public feel towards the brand and listening to the public’s opinion has confirmed that the decision to bring back the bar is the right thing to do.”
Originally launched in 1995, following a six year absence from confectionery shelves across the UK, Wispa Gold follows in the footsteps of the original Wispa which returned permanently in 2008 after tens of thousands of fans across the country campaigned for its return and now boasts the title of ‘UK’s number one selling chocolate bar .’ The phenomenal success of the original Wispa, combined with the fans love for their favourite bubbly chocolate treat, means Wispa Gold will be glistening on the shelves of supermarkets and newsagents for a limited period this autumn.
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For further information, please contact the Wispa team at red on wispateam@redconsultancy.com or on 020 7025 6675
i The Nielsen Company MAT 11.04.2009
ii The Nielsen Company MAT 11.04.2009