A Sweet Revolution in Melbourne's West
Willy Wonka's fictional chocolate empire has nothing on the real-life marvel now operating in Melbourne's west. Opened in July 2025, this $130 million Truganina national distribution centre represents Australia's largest chocolate factory, boasting revolutionary automation and impressive environmental credentials that are setting new standards for sustainable manufacturing.
The Robotic Heart of Chocolate Production
At twice the size of the MCG, this mega-factory processes an astonishing four million blocks of Cadbury chocolate every week. The facility's technological backbone features 17 levels of automated storage operated by 11 robotic cranes, with 500 metres of conveyor systems seamlessly moving products throughout the massive complex.
Anna Reid, Cadbury director of supply chain and logistics, describes the operation as "quite a large, automated site" featuring a 56,100-pallet automated storage and retrieval system. "The best way to think about that is an automated structure that has these cranes going in and out, taking pallets in and out of the warehousing system automatically, and then feeding it on to conveyors, going out to trucks," Reid explained.
Environmental Innovation and Community Impact
The factory's futuristic design extends beyond automation to comprehensive sustainability measures. The facility is powered entirely by renewable energy through solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and modern recycling systems. The site generates one megawatt of solar power, covering approximately 30% of the factory's energy requirements.
By consolidating five previous sites into the Truganina facility, the operation has effectively removed 2700 trucks from roads annually, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of chocolate distribution across Australia.
The factory's production capacity is equally impressive. Workers have been busy creating Christmas stockings for the past five months, while the facility prepares to process 14 million Easter bunnies and 430 million Easter eggs annually. Beyond chocolate, the centre also handles lollies for Cadbury's parent company Mondelēz International, including Pascals and The Natural Confectionery Company brands.
The 200-strong workforce primarily hails from Melbourne's western suburbs, with the company establishing partnerships to recruit team members from diverse backgrounds, including the Chin community originally from Myanmar.
"It's really great to have people living in Melbourne's west, also working in Melbourne's west and being able to bring through people from all a diversity of backgrounds into the new facility," Reid said, highlighting the company's community-focused employment strategy.
