Cailler

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For other uses, see Cailler (disambiguation).

Cailler
Formerly
  • F.L. Cailler
TypePrivate (1819–1929)
IndustryFood
Founded1819; 203 years ago (1819) in Corsier-sur-Vevey
FounderFrançois-Louis Cailler
FatePurchased by Nestlé in 1929, became a brand
Headquarters
Broc
,
Switzerland
ProductsConfectionary, Swiss chocolate
OwnerNestlé
Websitecailler.ch

Cailler is a Swiss chocolate producer based in Broc. It was founded in Vevey by François-Louis Cailler in 1819 and bought by Nestlé in 1929.[1] Cailler is the oldest chocolate brand still in existence in Switzerland.

History[edit]

François-Louis Cailler was born in Vevey, Switzerland in 1796. Together with Abram L. C. Cusin, Cailler first opened a grocery shop in Vevey in 1818, where chocolate was also sold. The first chocolate factory was opened in neighbouring Corsier-sur-Vevey in 1819. It is considered the first modern chocolate factory.[2] Chocolate production increased with the opening of two other factories in Corsier and Vevey in 1832 and 1840. The factories were located on the Canal de la Monneresse and were water powered.[1]

François-Louis Cailler died in 1852. His wife Louise-Albertine continued to run the company along with their sons, Auguste and Alexandre.[1]

In 1898, the current factory of Broc (Maison Cailler) opened. Chocolate (including milk chocolate) began to be produced on a very large scale.[1] The number of workers grew from 76 in 1898 to 630 in 1901.[3]

In 1904, Daniel Peter (the inventor of milk chocolate and François-Louis Cailler’s son-in-law) and Charles-Amédée Kohler (son of Charles-Amédée Kohler who founded a chocolate factory in 1830) became partners and founded the Société générale suisse des chocolats Peter et Kohler réunis. in 1911, the company created by Peter and Kohler merged with Cailler.[4]

In 1929, Peter, Cailler, Kohler, Chocolats Suisses S.A. merged with the Nestlé group.[4]

Location[edit]

Cailler is located in the canton of Fribourg, in the Alpine foothills of the Gruyères region. Its chocolates are produced at Maison Cailler. The factory complex is located north of Broc, on the Jogne river, near its mouth in the Lake of Gruyère. The complex has a dedicated railway station, Broc-Fabrique, which is connected to Bulle via a narrow-gauge line.[5]

Tourism[edit]

Maison Cailler educates visitors on the history of the brand, ingredient sourcing, and the artistry of chocolate-making — visitors are allowed to try chocolates in the tasting room at the end of tours. The factory is open seven days a week and accommodates visits in twelve languages. Activities beyond the museum include: chocolate workshops, an escape game and an outdoor playground.

The "Chocolate Train", operated by the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway, connects Montreux to the factory.

Products[edit]

Cailler produces a wide range of 100 g and 200 g chocolate bars, essentially milk but also dark and white. It also produces individual chocolate bars. One of the oldest products still commercialised is the Branche, a branch-looking milk chocolate and hazelnuts bar with a praline filling, sold in either red, blue or green wrapper.[6] The original Branche was first mentioned in Kohler’s recipe books from 1896 and is produced since 1904.[1][4] Often placed inside a bread roll or bun,[7] it remains nowadays a particularly iconic chocolate bar. Cailler produces also praline boxes, the oldest being Ambassador (since 1890) and Fémina (1902). Among notable large bars are Chocmel (since 1920), Frigor (1923) and Rayon (1937).[4] Several Cailler products, especially the Branche, are imitated by other producers,[8] for instance by the other Swiss brand Frey.

Branche Originale
Branche Crémant (dark version)
Kambly Cailler chocolate biscuits
Display of Ambassador pralines
Frigor bar in a 1929 ad

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "About Cailler". Cailler. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  2. ^ Notter, Ewald (2011). The Art of the Chocolatier From Classic Confections to Sensational Showpieces. John Wiley & Sons. p. 7. Chocolate factories began to appear in Europe as early as 1728, but they used age-old labor-intensive methods to grind and churn their products. It was not until 1819 that the first sophisticated chocolate factory was established in Corsier, Switzerland, by François-Louis Cailler.
  3. ^ Broc in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
  4. ^ a b c d Chrystal, Paul (2021). "The Cocoa and Chocolate Competition at the Start of the Twentieth Century". Rowntree's – The Early History. Pen and Sword Books. In 1904, Daniel Peter and Charles-Amédée Kohler became partners and founded the company Société Générale Suisse de Chocolats Peter et Kohler Réunis. Cailler began to produce their own Branches. The original Branche was first mentioned in Kohler's recipe books in 1896. [...] In 1920, Kohler launched Chocmel brand chocolate with honey and almond slivers. In 1923 Cailler launched Frigor, which was developed by Cailler confectioner Charles Panchaud. In 1929, Peter, Cailler, Kohler and Chocolats Suisses S. A. all merged with the Nestlé group.
  5. ^ "Broc-Fabrique on the Swiss National Map". Federal Office of Topography. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  6. ^ Cuochi d'artificio - Cioccolato Branche Cailler. Radiotelevisione svizzera. 1 October 2012. Event occurs at 4:33. dal 1904, e la ricetta è rimasta invariata: un composto di cioccolato per il praliné interno, e una copertura di cioccolato al latte e nocciole per l'esterno [...] anche il colore dei Branches Cailler è tradizione, sono così dal 1904 [since 1904, and the recipe has remained unchanged: a mix of chocolate and praline for the inside, and milk chocolate with hazelnuts for the outside [...] even the colors of the Cailler Branches have been like this since 1904]
  7. ^ Richoz, Mélanie (2015). Mue (in French). Geneva: Éditions Slatkine. ISBN 9782832106839. Elle pose un sachet de boulangerie sur le bar en béton. Je sais qu'il contient un petit pain et une branche Cailler comme à chacune de ses visites. [She puts a bakery bag on the concrete bar. I know that it contains a bun and a Cailler Branche as in each of his visits.]
  8. ^ Meo, Carlo (2012). Design marketing. Innovare cambiando i significati del consumo (in Italian). Milan: Gruppo 24 Ore. p. 53. ISBN 9788863454413. Nasce così una delle aziende che hanno fatto la storia e la fortuna del cioccolato, creatrice di prodotti inimitabili (ma spesso imitati) come le praline Ambassador (1890) e Fémina (1902), le leggendarie Branches (1904), la delicata Frigor (1923) o Rayon, la cioccolata leggera come una nuvola (1937). [Thus was born one of the companies that made the history and fortune of chocolate, creator of inimitable (but often imitated) products such as the Ambassador (1890) and Fémina (1902) pralines, the legendary Branches (1904), the delicate Frigor (1923) or Rayon, the light chocolate like a cloud (1937).]

External links[edit]

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