Chocolate lovers will soon be able to enjoy a brand-new theme park based on an iconic Swiss brand, and at the heart of it all will be a real-life working chocolate factory to explore.
Switzerland is already a major destination for chocolate lovers and for many of them the highlight of the trip is visiting Maison Cailler in Broc, Gruyère. It’s where the iconic Cailler chocolate has been made since the late 19th-Century, and is among the oldest chocolate factories in the world to still be in operation.
At the moment, chocolate lovers can visit the factory and take tours, and there’s already a museum on the history of Cailler. Guests can take a chocolate workshop to learn to make their own treats such as truffles, and of course, there are plenty of opportunities for tastings along the way.
Now, new plans could mean the chocolate factory will be just the start of the excitement for fans of the brand. While the current attraction is 2,000 m2, there are plans for it to be expanded to nearly 30,000m2, allowing for what its website bills as a “memorable sensory experience”.
The plan is for a park that’ll take around four to six hours to explore, taking visitors on a “journey of discovery through cocoa”.
Around 400,000 visitors a year already visit the attraction, making it one of Switzerland’s most visited museums, and there are reports that the park could double this number in the first phase alone.
Plans also include a cable car to take visitors from the car park to the factory, and a ‘flying theatre’ that will allow for stunning views over the Swiss scenery. There will also be a huge cocoa greenhouse so visitors can see how chocolate is grown and harvested.
And if that’s not enough chocolate-themed fun, a new hotel will allow visitors to indulge their sweet tooth overnight. If the project goes forward, the first phase should be open by 2030.
