Cadbury auctioning machinery, gear

ANYONE keen on buying a used portable chocolate floor pump complete with motor — perhaps someone starting their own chocolate factory — is in luck.

The piece of chocolate manufacturing equipment is just one item on a list of such machinery on the market following the closure of Dunedin’s Cadbury chocolate factory.

An online auction also includes a 1975 Bedford van modified as a mobile coffee vehicle, and a custommade food vendor caravan.

The auction follows parent company Mondelez’ closure of the factory, and the end of hopes Cadbury World and the Cadbury cafe would continue, after last week’s purchase of the building for Dunedin’s new hospital.

The online sale is being handled by Australasian retail and auction company Grays, with bidding open internationally.

Plant manager Judith Mair said the auction was for the last remaining pieces of smallscale office and manufacturing equipment.

The majority of industrial manufacturing equipment had already been relocated to Mondelez sites in Australia, or sold to other manufacturers in New Zealand or overseas.

The equipment for sale includes everything from a lathe to pedestal drills, emergency escape breathing devices to a variety of forklifts.

The closure of the cafe has resulted in the sale of cafe´ tables and bar benches, commercial dish washers and a festive display fridge.

Otago Chocolate Company founder and general manager Liz Rowe said her company, which raised $2 million through a crowdfunding campaign to expand its operations following news of the Cadbury closure, did not need the sort of equipment Cadbury used, as most was ‘‘a bit outside our scale’’.

Her company had already bought ‘‘artisansized equipment’’ for its planned new factory in Roberts St. ‘‘It’s on a ship as we speak.’’

Ms Rowe said the company was about to lodge working drawings for building consent for the factory.

Contracts for construction would be the next step after that.

‘‘Everything’s on track as far as that process is concerned.’’