François-Louis Cailler (1796 - 1852) established the oldest chocolate factory still in use in Switzerland. It is near Vevey in canton Vaud, and opened in 1819. He opened a second factory in 1825.
Cailler, who spent four years in Italy learning the skill of chocolate making in Turin, was able to automate some of the production, bringing the price of chocolate down considerably.
Cailler's most important innovation was to develop a smooth chocolate that could be made into bars.
He was the father-in-law of another great Swiss chocolate pioneeer, Daniel Peter.
