Caramello Candy Bar (History, Pictures & Commercials)

Caramello bars have been around for a long time and they are sold under different names in the UK and Australia. The general name for the candy confection is actually Cadbury Caramilk, but in the US, this candy bar is more familiarly known as Caramello. The entire styling of the bar is different depending on where it is sold and this can lead to confusion that these are different candy bars when they are actually the same product. There are some variations in the recipe in different countries but the overall taste is remarkably similar.

If you have always loved Caramello candy bars but do not know much about how they are made or what the other versions of the treatment are in other countries, you are not alone. The history of this candy treat is interesting and you will find that there are various places where you can enjoy this candy bar so long as you know what the name of it is outside of the United States. If you love candy bars with caramel, this is the right candy choice for your enjoyment and you should pick up a Caramello right away!

History

As mentioned above, the actual name of Caramellos is Cadbury Caramilk. This is the name of the bar that was introduced in 1968 by Cadbury and the original cars were sold in Canada and the UK. In Canada, the bar was made with chocolate on the outside and it was filled with caramel. In the UK, the original bar was made with white chocolate and caramel flavoring. This was how the bar was first sold in the Australian and Irish markets as well.

The bar came to the UK in 1976 as the Cadbury Caramel and it was sold in the US for the first time under the Hershey banner in 1988. The bar was licensed to Hershey’s for this release and continues to be sold under the license today.

This is one of those candy treats that has experienced some versioning over the years, despite it being produced continuously since its rollout in 1968. The original Caramilk bars are still sold in many places but the versions have changed somewhat over time in the UK, Canada, and the US. The original candy has been split into two different bar types in Australia.

The more familiar US version which is sold in a dark wrapper as “Cadbury’s Caramello” is now sold in Australia as well. This version of the bar is made under a license with Hershey’s in the US and is sold under this same logo and slogan. Australia also sells a version of the bar called, “Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel” which has recently been released to Ireland too.

The Cadbury dairy milk version of the bar is largely the same as the original but it does have a slightly different caramel taste and the chocolate is definitely milk chocolate as compared to the original white chocolate or slightly darker chocolate that was used for other versions of the bar.

The Canadian Caramilk bar is made at the Gladstone Chocolate Factory in Toronto and has not changed much since the release of the candy in the 60s. The original Australian bar was actually discontinued in 1994 and then reintroduced to New Zealand in 2017 under a limited-edition banner of one million bars. The product was so popular after the relaunch that the bar was reintroduced to Australia in 2018. The bars were and continue to be technically limited edition, but there has been no sign that the company will quit selling them at this time.

In 2021, after a hiatus, the bar was launched again in the UK and Ireland and fans were thrilled. There are some key variants that have always been popular in European markets like Dairy Milk Caramilk top Deck and Caramilk Marble. The 2020 release did bring in a new flavor variant as well called Caramilk Hokey Pokey which was released to New Zealand.

Versions and Variants

• Caramilk dark chocolate
• Caramilk maple flavor
• Caramilk Chocolate flavor
• Caramilk Cappuccino
• Caramilk Thick
• Caramilk Rolls- similar to Rolo
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramilk
• Cadbury’s Caramello
• Dairy Milk Caramilk Top Deck – milk chocolate bar topped with caramilk
• Caramilk Marble- marbled milk chocolate and caramilk with hazelnut praline filling
• Caramilk Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• Caramilk Hokey Pokey- Caramilk with honeycomb toffee pieces

Many of these versions are not available in the US and some of them are limited edition and so are not available most of the time. Lovers of this candy bar have to keep their eye peeled for limited edition runs of all of these more unique flavor variants of the bar as they are not consistently sold or often planned to be released until close to the product actually landing on the market.

What Does a Caramello Taste Like?

The original candy bar is chocolatey and has a chewy caramel center. You can snap the bar into bite-sized bits but the caramel will still stick to your teeth. This is not the kind of caramel that you will find in a Twix bar but is a more smooth creamy caramel that I’m sure you will enjoy. This might be one of the reasons that the bar is not as popular as others that are similar in the US, since most US companies try to make items that are easy to enjoy on the go like Kit Kat and other easier to eat candy treats.

This is a classic candy bar, however, and for purists who love caramel and chocolate, there is not much else on the market that will satisfy this craving like a Caramello bar. These are really delicious candies that have not changed much since the recipe was first created and there are many people who still believe that this is how every chocolate candy bar should be made. You will find that this is one of those candy treats that you really can’t go wrong with unless you just hate caramel or chewing a bit to enjoy your candy bar.

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Buy Online

You can also buy Caramello at Old Time Candy by clicking the image below.

Ingredients

From the listing at Allcitycandy:

• Kosher certified
• Milk chocolate
• Sugar, milk
• Cocoa butter
• Chocolate, lactose
• Soy lecithin
• PGPR
• Emulsifier
• Natural and artificial flavors
• Corn syrup
• Invert sugar
• Milk fat
• Nonfat milk
• Contains 2% or less of artificial flavoring, sodium bicarbonate, salt

These ingredients might vary if you are looking at the UK variants that use white chocolate and some unique fillings. You might also find that some of the more unique spin-offs have different ingredients as well.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1 bar (45g)	% Daily Value*
Amount per serving
Calories	210
Total Fat	9g	14%
Saturated Fat	5g	27%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	10mg	4%
Sodium	45mg	2%
Total Carbohydrate	29g	10%
Dietary Fiber	1g	2%
Total Sugars	25g
Protein	3g
Vitamin D	3.3iu	0%
Calcium	83.0mg	8%
Iron	0.2mg	0%
Potassium	140.0mg	4%

• The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Advertising Slogans and Campaigns

Caramilk bars have been advertised over the years with a focus on the question of how the center of the treat was put into the chocolate exterior. There have been 15 unique television commercials that were made over the years, many of which were shown primarily in Canada. One of the most popular slogans was, “The Caramilk Secret”. These ads ran around the idea that the making of the bar was a very important secret and there were even ad campaigns that showed aliens discussing how to keep the humans from finding out the trick to making the yummy chocolate candy.

There was another famous ad shown in the US that showed Leonardo da Vinci drawing the Mona Lisa and eating a Caramilk bar. This ad actually won a Clio award, which is a rare moment of larger stardom for what has otherwise been a candy that has not sought a lot of public attention. This is one of those candies that has always sold well despite not being advertised heavily in many of the places that it is offered.

Caramel chocolate candies are always popular and Hershey’s is such a big name that US sales are likely in part, fortified by Hersey’s name being on the wrapper. The UK and Australia have experienced the largest advertising push and the bar is much more familiar in those locations than it is in the US. People who love a solidly chewy and rich candy bar will always find Caramello to be one of their favorite treats, but the US market is more invested in candy snacks that include nuts, some kind of crunch, or the ability to snap the bar in half with ease.

The candy is sold in purple and yellow wrappers in most countries besides the US. In the US, the wrappers are dark brown and red, which is in keeping with Hershey’s style of dark wrappers on chocolate bars. The bright purple and yellow immediately ties the candy to the Cadbury brand for those who have seen their other products which is why it is interesting that the bar is not sold with these colors in the US. It is likely that it would be sold in this kind of wrapper if it were not licensed to Hershey’s for sale in US stores.

Commercials:

An 80s classic:

A newer Caramello ad:

A commercial for a variant in Australia called Caramello Koala:

A classic original ad image for the candy bar: