Foal… The image of this little rascal floats in the childhood memories of all French people, young and old. Whether at breakfast or snack time, who hasn’t been lulled by the cocoa scent of this iconic brand? However, the Chocolats Poulain company, founded in 1848 in Blois, in Loir-et-Cher, by the confectioner and chocolatier Victor-Auguste Poulain, is in very bad shape. After 176 years of activity, the legendary chocolate powders will in any case no longer be produced in Villebarou, the brand’s historic factory, to the great dismay of the city’s residents and the company’s 109 employees. At the beginning of June, the French agri-food group Carambar & Co, owner of Poulain since 2017, announced the hasty closure of the site by the end of 2024. A shock announcement which “stunned” the 109 employees of the factory.
A slow decline precipitated by a disastrous economic situation
Chantal Quillivic, employee of the company, highlights a tense economic context: “Three months ago, management explained to us that things were going badly: that the price of cocoa had exploded, that raw materials and energy were very expensive. » The surge in the price of gas, in particular, necessary in the process of cooking and dehydrating cocoa beans, or the rise in the price of sugar and cocoa, which almost doubled at the start of the year, would have precipitated the group decision. Management claims that“none of the efforts made to find an industrial solution likely to perpetuate the activity of the site have [pu] successful[r] ». An insufficient reason, believes Tony Anjeran, CGT union representative within the company: “Volumes have been declining for a year, but not enough to endanger the company! » he explains. “We have been under the English fold, then American, and it is Eurazeo, a French group, which will create a profitable brand. Shame on him! » he fumes.
In 2023, the site ceased production of chocolate powders for abroad, which represented nearly 18% of its market share. A year earlier, in 2022, aid of 200,000 euros from the State came to replenish the coffers to alleviate the difficulties of the economic situation.
An emblematic industrial jewel of Blois
“There was a time when this company was the largest chocolate factory in Europe”, reminds us the INA. Renowned for the velvety quality of its chocolate, thanks to a technique of “conching” at 60 degrees and “pouring” at 30 degrees with great finesse, the Poulain company contributed to the influence of the city of Blois and was the pride of the 47,000 inhabitants. from the town of Loir-et-Cher. She has become the ambassador of the city of Blois, whose streets are strolled under the cocoa balm of the famous little horse, with every west wind and under every rain. When the Tour de France passed through Blois in 1971, the best climber of the time, Lucien Van Impe, received his weight in Poulain chocolate. A whole era!
Between resistance and sadness
Showing resistance, employees immediately mobilized to try to save the brand’s emblematic factory. On Facebook, more than 4,800 members have joined the “Blois solidaire de Poulain” group. An online petition was also launched, collecting more than 11,000 signatures. This closure, which would mean the departure of 109 families, would inevitably have very negative economic repercussions on the attractiveness of the city. Traders fear, in particular, a drop in attendance.
The social and economic committee (CSE), which was to be held this Thursday, June 13 and provide more details regarding the conditions of departure of employees, came to an end. Suspended for procedural violation. “Management intentionally failed to attach the information documents in violation of article L.1233-31 of the Labor Code”, retorts one of the CGT Poulain representatives. The future of employees, for the moment, is still uncertain, although the Carambar & Co group declared, this Monday, June 10, by press release, that “the determination to support each of the 109 employees concerned towards a new job will be at the heart of the project”.
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