Richard Cadbury was the second son of the Quaker John Cadbury

John Cadbury

John Cadbury was proprietor of a small chocolate business in Birmingham, England, that later became part of Cadbury plc, one of the world's largest chocolate producers.-Biography:...

, founder of Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate company.

Together with his younger brother George

George Cadbury

George Cadbury was the third son of John Cadbury, a Quaker who founded Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate company.-Background:...

 he took over the family business in 1861 and in 1878 they acquired 14 acres (57,000 m²) of land in open country, four miles (6 km) south of Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

 where they opened a new factory in 1879. Over the following years, more land was acquired and a model village

Model village

A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers...

 was built for his workers which became known as Bournville

Bournville

Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...

.