Purple wrap tastes like crap

The first Yogi Award for 2017 goes to Whittaker's, who are smarter (and better tasting) than the average chocolate makers. They have been New Zealand-owned and operated for 120 years, they make all their delicious chocolate from bean to bar, and are not going anywhere soon. That's more than can be said for Cadbury. That's right, the river of chocolate that sustained thousands of Dunedin workers (including at one point my father and his current fiancée) over the years looks set to run dry. But while the closure of Cadbury's landmark factory will be a major blow to the southern city, no one is seeing it as a sign of wider problems in the manufacturing sector. Commentators say the writing has been on the wall for a while now, but there was still shock when Cadbury's owner last month announced that it plans to close the factory, leaving some 360 people without jobs. Mondelez International, Cadbury's multi-billion-dollar US parent company, cited increasing costs and distance to its markets as making it untenable to continue the business - even though it is still profitable. Given that more than 70% of Cadbury's New Zealand production is exported, the decision to move production to Australia and close its last manufacturing plant in this country next year was a logical - if tough - decision to make, said Mondelez. Of course the real reason for this is about money, as with anything a for-profit does. Even Sam Neill knows this, as he has come out in support of Cadbury factory workers, asking people to never buy or sell Cadbury products again. In a Twitter post, Neill asked all New Zealanders and Australians to "NEVER sell or buy anything Cadbury EVER again" if Cadbury's owner, American food giant Mondelez International, follows through with the closure of its Dunedin factory. Neill also tweeted Dunedin was his home town and closing the Cadbury factory was, "ripping the guts out of a community and its history". I'm already boycotting them with one exception: they have a Dairy Milk with Oreo Mint out right now, and I've got one which I'm saving up to eat for breakfast or lunch on St Patrick's Day.