Maison Cailler, the legendary Swiss chocolate house still operating at its original Broc factory, has announced an audacious expansion project that will reshape how travelers experience chocolate tourism. The planned Parc du chocolat Cailler carries a price tag of €436 million and aims to open its doors in 2030, with a soft launch planned for late 2027 or early 2028.
The vision extends far beyond a typical factory tour. Spanning 30,000 square meters, this reimagined destination will integrate the historic factory site with new attractions while preserving its architectural soul. Backers expect the park to draw between 700,000 and 800,000 visitors in its first year alone, climbing to over a million annually afterward, making it one of Switzerland's most ambitious tourism projects in recent memory.
A Heritage Site Gets a Modern Makeover
Here's what makes this project particularly clever: Maison Cailler isn't building from scratch. The factory in Broc holds the distinction of being the world's oldest continuously operating chocolate factory and sits on Switzerland's Federal Inventory of Heritage Sites. Rather than demolish, the plan respects this legacy while injecting new energy.
The current Maison Cailler museum, which draws roughly 400,000 visitors annually, will be replaced with a restored Neo-Renaissance facade that recalls the building's original splendor. The factory's forecourt will be lowered to its historical level, creating space for hands-on cooking workshops led by master chocolatiers. It's a balance between honoring the past and creating something entirely new.
What Visitors Will Actually Experience
The completed park will include the factory's former mechanical workshops, a reconstructed cocoa-to-bar production line, and new gallery spaces. Perhaps most Instagram-worthy are the cocoa bean-shaped greenhouses designed to walk visitors through every stage of chocolate creation. At the journey's end sits the Chocolate Emporium, where travelers can sample Cailler's entire product range and pick up souvenirs.
For those who've explored Brussels' chocolate festivals, this park will offer something deeper: direct access to production methods, ingredient sourcing, and the technical artistry behind crafting high-quality chocolate.
Getting There (and Back Home)
Planners clearly thought about the logistics. A dedicated train route from Bern will deliver chocolate pilgrims straight to Broc-Chocolaterie, cutting out complicated transfers. An underground parking garage connected via cable lift will handle visitor overflow without creating traffic chaos in this quiet corner of Gruyère. These infrastructure touches suggest serious ambition, not just a theme park slapped together.
The project still needs formal planning permission, including an amendment to the Local Development Plan and ten separate building permits. That bureaucratic reality hasn't dampened enthusiasm, and the 2030 timeline remains the stated target for phase one completion.
For chocolate lovers planning a Swiss trip, this represents a future landmark worth circling on the calendar. Whether you're already familiar with Switzerland's cocoa heritage or discovering it for the first time, the Parc du chocolat Cailler promises to be far more than a gift shop attached to a factory tour.
