Q&A
Q&A Cailler
Chocolate park
Do you have any questions about the Cailler Chocolate Park? Find out the answers to the most frequently asked questions here.
Agreement between Jogne Invest and Nestlé
In principle, Jogne Invest will finance, build, and manage the park. Nestlé Switzerland, for its part, will sell land and make parts of its factory available. Furthermore, Nestlé Switzerland will authorize the future park to use the Cailler brand. A framework agreement was signed in December 2022 between Nestlé Switzerland and Jogne Invest. It regulates the terms and conditions of the above. Its precise content remains confidential.
The content of the agreement is confidential.
The project represents an initial investment of over CHF 100 million by Jogne Invest (CHF 200 million including future development steps). Nestlé will provide Jogne Invest with the land and space needed to develop the park and will grant it a license to use the Cailler brand. Moreover, Nestlé has decided to invest CHF 9 million to modernize and refurbish its production lines.
It’s an ambitious project, requiring a wide range of skills both for the development and construction phase and for the future operating phase. Nestlé believes that its core competencies lie in the production of foodstuffs and chocolate. An entity entirely dedicated to the chocolate park will be better able to bring the project to fruition.
The directors of Jogne Invest are mostly from the Fribourg region and have strong personal ties with Maison Cailler. It was therefore a natural step for them to meet Jogne Invest. The Cailler brand has been anchored in Gruyère since 1898, and one of the important criteria was to find investors who shared the same roots and passion for Cailler.
The precise terms of the contract are confidential. However, Nestlé’s commitment to this major project is a guarantee of a long-term vision for the Broc factory and the Cailler brand. Nestlé is investing CHF 9 million to modernize production at the Broc factory.
Jogne Invest
The Board of Directors of Jogne Invest is made up of Daniel Bulliard (Chairman), Jean-Bernard Buchs (Vice-Chairman), Jean-Luc Mossier (Director) and Olivier Quillet (Director, initiator and General Manager of the project). These four persons have strong personal links with the Broc chocolate factory.
At present, investors come mainly from the economic fabric of Fribourg. The investors targeted for successive capital increases are individuals and institutions who support the philosophy of Jogne Invest: to enhance the heritage of the Gruyère region and to promote the Cailler brand in Switzerland and beyond our borders. Jogne Invest is in contact with interested investors. They are awaiting building permits before taking part in the project.
The investors take the risks associated with the current procedures. The necessary approvals at municipal and cantonal level are currently under review and must be obtained before any construction work can begin on the park. At this stage, the risk is linked to the success of the procedures.
Gruyère-Chocolat Association
The association is the platform that brings together the players involved in the project. At this stage, its members include Jogne Invest, the Association régionale la Gruyère (ARG), the Union fribourgeoise du tourisme (UFT), the Fédération patronale et économique (FPE) and Nestlé. Through the association, the parties participate in the project’s development in terms of economy, tourism, and planning. It is the association that steers the development of the detailed development plan (PAD).
The association helped finance the project’s initial feasibility studies when those were not public. Today, it is responsible for developing the PAD and informing the public.
No, it isn’t. The Gruyère-Chocolat Association is responsible for drawing up the detailed development plan and respects all procedures. It’s important to remember that the approval of a PAD is not the responsibility of the prefect, but of the commune, based on notices from the specialized cantonal services.
Maison Cailler
Yes, Maison Cailler is profitable. As a reminder, it ranked among the most-visited museums in its second year of existence. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the museum was reaching the limit of its capacity with over 400,000 annual visitors. The 2019 levels have now been regained and could be beaten by 2023. This demonstrates the potential of the park project.
Maison Cailler will remain open as much as possible during the works. Much of the work can be carried out in parallel, as it involves an extension to old buildings that are not currently in use.
After more than 10 years of success, Maison Cailler already attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year. The village of Gruyères alone attracts a million visitors. These figures suggest that the park project has the potential to attract many more visitors.
Park/construction
Initially, the theme park will enable visitors to discover the world of chocolate, take a look behind the scenes of chocolate-making inside the factory, taste creations and take part in workshops with master chocolatiers. This first phase will cover more than 30,000m2 around the factory, mainly to the north of the factory on the other side of the Jogne River, as well as in spaces in and above the factory.
As the project is currently still undergoing several approval phases, we can’t give a definite deadline. However, the aim is to submit the PAD in 2024. The association is working on the development of a plan that will enable the park to integrate harmoniously with the natural site and meet visitor expectations.
Companies for the construction of the park will be selected based on their specialization and the needs in terms of trades. Jogne Invest is keen to work with local companies as much as possible. However, it is too early to comment on more precise selection criteria.
It’s still too early to provide detailed information on this subject.
The new park will certainly contribute significantly to the local economy. Furthermore, the project will enable the region to promote itself worldwide as the “Capital of Swiss Chocolate”. The economic benefit of Maison Cailler for the canton was estimated at 42 million francs in 2018 by the Union Fribourgeoise du Tourisme.
The association invited five internationally recognized companies to take part in a paid competition to come up with a first-rate scenography. BRC Imagination Arts and Jora Vision were chosen to design the sets. Founded over 40 years ago, BRC specializes in brand experience and has won over 400 awards for its work worldwide. Jora Vision, a Dutch company founded 25 years ago, specializes in theme parks.
Accessibility
Minimizing the environmental footprint is one of the main concerns of the project sponsors. This applies primarily to energy consumption and mobility. The Chocolate Park will be directly linked to the Swiss rail network. Visitors will be able to reach the park by train, thanks to the renewal of the tracks leading to the “Broc Fabrique” station, inaugurated in August 2023. Attractive combined tickets are planned.
For those arriving by car, the existing Maison Cailler parking lot will be closed, and a multi-purpose parking lot is planned in the En Liaubon area, just outside the village. In this way, traffic on the communal roads will be reduced, and vehicles will be channelled onto the cantonal road. The parking lot will also be sized to meet the needs of hikers from the Gorges de la Jogne and people who want to drop off their cars in Broc to catch the RER train. There will be a direct link to the park. The current visitor parking lot will be closed.
The project’s promoters want to give priority to the train. Thus, it is important to point out that their partners of the RER Fribourg have the capacity to transport all expected visitors by train. This is a considerable asset! But we must also bear in mind that some people choose to come by car or by bus. That’s why initial studies estimate that one visitor in two will come by public transportation (train or bus). This proportion should increase over time. This is also why we are proposing an underground parking lot at En Liaubon: it will not only meet the needs of park visitors, but also the parking problem at the start of the Gorges de la Jogne and park-and-ride needs.
There are currently 360 parking spaces on the plain. In Liaubon, we must consider not only the needs of visitors to the park, but also the needs communicated by the commune for the Gorges de la Jogne (100 spaces) and for the park and ride (40 spaces).
This is not the logic of the project. The idea is to size it correctly and take the necessary measures to ensure that it is sufficient, i.e., to encourage as many visitors as possible to take the train or bus. If the project’s promoters were to find that there was a shortage of places, other solutions would be necessary and would be the subject of a new procedure.
Climate et biodiversity
Jogne Invest has commissioned a study from Groupe E to develop an energy concept for the park that aims to minimize its environmental impact. It will run on 100% local renewable energy.
On the contrary, the project aims to celebrate and enhance Gruyère’s agricultural and chocolate-making traditions. It will breathe new life into disused historic buildings, essentially using existing factory buildings that are part of the region’s unique industrial heritage. Apart from the hotel, the only new buildings planned are agricultural, with a greenhouse for growing cocoa and a model farm to celebrate Gruyère milk.
One of the very aims of the park is to celebrate and to revive the heritage and traditions of the Gruyère region. This region has enabled Cailler to become what it is today, and the park is a real tribute to its Gruyère roots, which will be present in all the activities offered to visitors. It will also raise the profile of the region both nationally and internationally.
For several decades, these areas have been used as business zones. The La Gruyère Regional Association decided to transform them into tourism zones as part of the work on the new regional master plan in December 2022. The master plan was approved by the State of Fribourg in September 2023.
On the contrary, the project involves redeveloping the banks of the Jogne in the park area, creating natural areas and, eventually, an educational wetland. The project will therefore enhance the ecosystem and biodiversity of this area.
Factory
Nestlé Switzerland is investing over CHF 9 million in the modernization and refitting of certain production lines within the factory. This will also create space for the park and facilitate the smooth flow of visits inside the factory.
Work began in February 2023 and will continue until 2024, with the relocation of production lines, the installation of new chocolate assembly and packaging machines, and the refurbishment of floors and ceilings.
Goods will continue to be transported to the mill by truck for technical reasons, as has been the case in recent years. This currently represents some 10 trucks a day in low season, 15 in high season.
However, Nestlé will endeavour to minimize the impact on traffic by:
- optimizing logistics flows (improving truck loading levels),
- adjusting transit times,
- evaluating the potential use of environmentally friendly trucks (electric or hydrogen-powered) for transport in Switzerland.
Procedures
To date, no.
Obviously, a project of this kind must be designed and implemented in close collaboration with the Fribourg authorities and the local population. This is why the Gruyère-Chocolat Association was set up, which includes numerous stakeholders, and will continue to do so in a transparent manner. To date, the association’s members include the Association régionale de la Gruyère, the Union fribourgeoise du tourisme and the Fédération patronale et économique, to name but a few.
The association takes all current regulations seriously, and they will be respected. It is also organizing public information sessions and will develop the project taking into account the opinions of numerous stakeholders.
Discover also
The Chocolate Parc Project
The Cailler Chocolate Park in Broc will bring the magic of chocolate to life in an unforgettable, immersive experience.
About
The Cailler Chocolate Park is carried by the Gruyère-Chocolat Association, which unites all parties involved in the project.
News and Events
Find the latest information and news on the Cailler Chocolate Park here.