2023-11-10 18:46:43
Maison Cailler, in Broc (FR), might change ownership. Nestlé wishes to sell the establishment to investors, the same ones who will develop the future “chocolate park”, RTS learned. The company says it wants to concentrate its forces on production.
With its 400,000 visitors per year, the chocolate museum is one of the top three most visited sites in Switzerland. It might soon no longer belong directly to the agri-food giant, which has owned the Cailler chocolate maker since 1928.
Nestlé announced this week to employees of the establishment: the multinational wishes to sell this showcase of the Cailler brand to local investors. According to information from RTS, the news was announced to them on Tuesday evening during an in-person visit by Nestlé CEO Eugenio Simioni.
Ambitious new attraction
The premises will be sold to a group of Friborg investors, the company Jogne Invest. It was already with it that Nestlé concluded an agreement last year for a mega project: the construction of a new chocolate park around the current locations from the end of 2025.
>> Read regarding this: An 80 million franc chocolate park planned for the end of 2025 in Broc (FR)
“It is a company which was created for this project, by enthusiasts of the Cailler brand and the Broc site. They wanted to see this site develop and take it towards the next 200 years,” explained Friday in the show Forum the instigator of this future new chocolate park Olivier Quillet, who is today its director within Nestlé. This place “will become, I hope, one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in Switzerland, and even in Europe!”, he rejoices. Ultimately, the site aims to attract one million visitors per year.
Tourism component in the hands of a single entity
Contacted by RTS, the multinational from Vevey says it wants to concentrate its forces on the industrial side, that is to say the production of chocolate in the factory of the Cailler chocolatier, its core competence. It will also invest an additional 9 million francs in production lines.
The group also emphasizes that the project for a future park dedicated to chocolate, estimated at 200 million francs, is ambitious, both in terms of development, construction and the future operating phase. This is why Nestlé considers it wise for a single entity to manage the tourism aspect of the place.
An “unprecedented chance” for development
The sale of Maison Cailler will however be subject to two conditions: the company Jogne Invest must first obtain the building permit from the canton of Fribourg. Then and above all, it will have to bring in the promised funds. The company has in fact committed to raising, initially, 80 million francs.
“I am confident. We already have a heart of support from families and individuals mainly from Gruyère, Friborg and the Lake Geneva region,” says Olivier Quillet, who also mentions other investors waiting for the first authorizations.
On the side of certain museum employees, this possible change of ownership causes a certain fear. But both Nestlé and the Friborg company Jogne Invest want to be reassuring: there are no job cuts planned. On the contrary, according to Nestlé, this sale will represent “an unprecedented opportunity for employees to be at the heart of the development of this unique park project”.
>> Listen to the interview with Olivier Quillet Friday evening in Forum: Sale of Maison Cailler: interview with Olivier Quillet / Forum / 3 min. / today at 6:06 p.m.
Radio Sujet: Mehdi Piccand
Adaptation web: Vincent Cherpillod
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