Alexandre-François-Louis Cailler

Alexandre-François-Louis Cailler (born February 9, 1866 in Vevey , † December 6, 1936 in Broc ) was a Swiss entrepreneur in the chocolate industry. Cailler turned the small Cailler chocolate factory into an international company. In addition, he was National Councilor for the FDP from 1911 to 1935.

Entrepreneur

Cailler was the son of François-Alexandre Cailler , the second son of François-Louis Cailler and Marie-Louise Penchaud. He completed a commercial apprenticeship before learning the art of chocolate making in Germany and Italy . Cailler took over the family business in 1887 from his stepfather Louis Gétaz . Under his management the company grew from 8 employees in 1887 to 120 employees in 1898. In 1897 and 1898 he relocated the company to Broc in Freiburg. The company continued to grow under his leadership. In order to face the increasing national and international competition, he went together with Peter and Kohler in 1911, but remained on the board of directors of Peter-Cailler-Kohler (PCK). Thanks to the merger with Nestlé in 1929, Cailler was able to prevent the threatened closure of the Broc plant during the Great Depression. He became Vice Chairman of the Nestlé Board of Directors in 1933 and died in his Broc home in 1936. Nestlé still sells chocolate today under the name "Cailler".

Politician

Cailler was a local councilor from 1887 to 1893 and a judge from 1890 to 1895 in Vevey . From 1908 he was a member of the local council of Broc and, after the parliamentary elections in 1911, he was a member of the national council for the canton of Friborg , and from 1925 to 1936 he was the Freiburg Grand Councilor . As a free-thinking national councilor, he campaigned in particular for economic interests and the promotion of large-scale industry. He was a staunch federalist . In addition to managing the company at Cailler, he held various other board memberships (FKB, SBG, Gruyère Railways ). He also held management positions in several industry associations and employer organizations.

family

Cailler was married twice: to Hélène Bellet and Marguerite-Lucie Borcard. He had a total of 6 children. His son Noël took over the business, the sons Georges and Claude sat on the Nestlé Board of Directors. Despite the growth of his company, he maintained a paternalistic leadership style, which ensured the loyalty of his employees during the First World War and the economic crisis that followed.

literature

• L. Blanc: Alexandre Cailler, sa vie, son œuvre . 1941
• Jean Heer: Nestlé - One hundred and twenty-five from 1866 to 1991 . Nestlé AG, Vevey; 1991

Web links

• Michel Charrière: Cailler, Alexandre-François-Louis. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .