Cailler facts for kids
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The historical building of the Cailler chocolate factory in Broc. It also hosts the visitor's centre "Maison Cailler"
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Formerly
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| Private (1819–1929) | |
| Industry | Food |
| Fate | Purchased by Nestlé in 1929, became a brand |
| Founded | 1819 in Corsier-sur-Vevey |
| Founder | François-Louis Cailler, Peter Cailler Kohler (PCK) |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Confectionery, Swiss chocolate |
| Brands | Chocolat Kohler, Peter's Chocolate |
| Owner | Nestlé |
Cailler is a famous Swiss chocolate brand and a factory located in Broc, Switzerland. It was started by François-Louis Cailler in 1819 in Vevey. Cailler is special because it's the oldest chocolate brand still making chocolate in Switzerland today! The company stayed independent for a long time. Later, it joined with other chocolate makers. In 1929, a big company called Nestlé bought Cailler, and it became one of their popular chocolate brands.
Contents
History of Cailler Chocolate
How Cailler Started
François-Louis Cailler was born in 1796 in Vevey, Switzerland. In 1818, he opened a grocery shop in Vevey with a friend. They sold chocolate there. Back then, people thought chocolate was more like a healthy drink or medicine, not a sweet treat!
In 1819, François-Louis Cailler opened his first chocolate factory. It was in a nearby town called Corsier-sur-Vevey. This factory was one of the first modern chocolate factories ever! It helped him make solid chocolate bars that were easy to buy and not too expensive. Cailler's chocolates became very popular. He soon offered many different kinds of chocolate with cool packaging. He even made chocolate bars flavored with vanilla and cinnamon.
As his business grew, he opened two more factories in 1832 and 1840. These factories used water power from a canal to help make the chocolate. François-Louis Cailler passed away in 1852. His wife, Louise-Albertine, and their sons, Auguste and Alexandre, continued to run the company.
New Ideas and Growth
In 1861, François-Louis Cailler's son-in-law, Daniel Peter, bought one of the Cailler factories. Daniel Peter started his own chocolate company there. After many years, he invented something amazing: milk chocolate!
In 1898, Alexandre-Louis Cailler, who was François-Louis Cailler's grandson, opened the big Cailler factory that is still used today in Broc. The next year, a special power plant was built on the Jogne River. This plant made electricity for the whole village of Broc! A railway line was also built in 1912. This made it easier to bring ingredients like fresh milk from local farms to the factory.
With these improvements, Cailler started making huge amounts of chocolate, especially milk chocolate. A foreman who used to work for Daniel Peter helped Cailler make this new type of chocolate. It became incredibly successful! The number of workers at the factory grew from 76 in 1898 to 630 in 1901. By 1930, nearly 1,800 people worked there.
Joining Forces with Others
In 1904, Daniel Peter (who invented milk chocolate) and Charles-Amédée Kohler (whose father started Chocolat Kohler) became business partners. They created a new company together. Then, in 1911, this new company joined with Cailler.
Finally, in 1929, this big chocolate group merged with the Nestlé company. For many years, Nestlé used all three names: Peter, Cailler, and Kohler, often called the PCK brand. But eventually, Nestlé decided to keep the Cailler name and brand for the chocolate made in the Broc factory.
Where Cailler Chocolate is Made
The Cailler factory is in the Canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. This area is famous for its delicious milk, which is perfect for making creamy chocolate. The factory is called Maison Cailler. It's located north of Broc, right by the Jogne River. The factory even has its own train station, Broc-Fabrique, which connects it to the town of Bulle.
Visiting the Factory
Maison Cailler is a fun place to visit! It teaches you all about the history of the Cailler brand. You can learn where the ingredients come from and how chocolate is made. The best part? At the end of the tour, you get to try lots of different Cailler chocolates in the tasting room!
The factory is open every day of the week. You can take tours in many different languages. Besides the museum, you can also join chocolate workshops, play an escape game, or have fun at an outdoor playground.
There's even a special "Chocolate Train" that takes you from Montreux right to the factory! It's a great way to start your chocolate adventure. Soon, there will be an extra theme park about chocolate opening in 2025.
Cailler Products
Cailler makes many different kinds of chocolate bars, usually in 100-gram and 200-gram sizes. They have milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate. They also make individual chocolate bars, like the famous Branche.
Cailler also makes fancy boxes of chocolates called pralines. Two of their oldest and most loved praline boxes are Ambassador (made since 1890) and Fémina (made since 1902). Some other chocolate companies try to copy Cailler's popular products, especially the Branche bar.
Here are some of Cailler's most famous products:
- Ambassador (since 1890): This is a beautiful box filled with different kinds of pralines.
- Lait (1898): This is a simple milk chocolate bar made with extra creamy milk. It comes wrapped in a pretty purple paper.
- Fémina (1902): Another popular box of assorted pralines, similar to a gianduja style.
- Branche (1904): This is a very famous chocolate bar that looks like a small tree branch! The original Branche has a soft praline center. It's covered in milk chocolate and crunchy hazelnut pieces. You can find it in red, blue, or green wrappers. The Branche was first created by Kohler, but Cailler has been making it since 1904. It's so popular that the name branche is now used in French for any chocolate bar that looks similar. People often put a Branche bar inside a bread roll for a tasty snack! Cailler also makes dark chocolate versions and other flavors.
- Chocmel (1920): This is a milk chocolate bar with honey and almonds. It might remind you of Toblerone!
- Frigor (1923): A milk chocolate bar with a soft, creamy filling made of hazelnuts and almonds.
- Rayon (1937): This is a milk chocolate bar with honey nougat and tiny air bubbles inside.
Kambly Cailler chocolate biscuits
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See also
In Spanish: Cailler para niños
