Chocolate crisis. Poulain, a French chocolate icon, to halt production after 176 years
The French chocolate factory Poulain is going bankrupt. Plans include halting production and laying off more than 100 employees. The factory has operated for 176 years.
6:01 PM EDT, June 10, 2024
The Poulain production facility is in Villebarou, near Blois, in central France. The plan to close this iconic factory will be officially announced on June 13, 2024, during a meeting of the Socio-Economic Committee.
Employees surprised by the chocolate factory’s closure
Union members learned about the factory's closure on June 7. According to them, employees are surprised by this turn of events. A total of 109 people will lose their jobs.
Explanations given to them by the plant management said that efforts made to find a solution that could keep the plant operational have failed.
This week, union members are expected to learn about the implications of the implemented plan and what support will be offered to employees. In their view, production levels have decreased, but not so drastically as to threaten the company.
The factory's closure is also not supported by local and regional authorities. A statement quoted by the portal says they oppose the disappearance of a part of industrial history.
Chocolate giant on fragile ground?
The factory's founder was Victor-Auguste Poulain, who began mass production of chocolate in 1848. The brand's symbol is a leaping colt, directly referencing the word "poulain" (French for colt). The company is known for its Poulain Orange chocolate bars and chocolate drink mixes.
In 1988, the company was bought by Cadbury Schweppes and in 2010 by Kraft Foods (later Mondelēz International). Currently, the chocolate brand is owned by Carambar & Co.
Dark clouds started gathering over the Poulain factory earlier, but in 2022, the state-supported it with $215,000. A year later, the plant stopped producing chocolate for foreign markets, which made up about 18 percent of total production.
