“An Incredible Brutality”: The Legendary Wooden Camembert Boxes Could Disappear

BUSINESS: The Cibem factory in Saint-Pierre-en-Auge (Calvados), particularly known for the manufacture of Camembert wood boxes, could close its doors next year

No date has yet been communicated, but the Cibem factory in Saint-Pierre-en-Auge (Calvados) could close its doors in the first half of 2026. It is particularly known for its manufacture of wooden packaging, more particularly that of Camembert boxes Normandy.

In a press release published Tuesday, management assures that this closure is a “particularly difficult decision” which “results from a persistent economic deficit situation”. Installed in 1885 in the town, the factory was placed in liquidation then bought in 2011 by SNEC, a subsidiary of Lactalis, reports The Parisian.

“Everything will stop”

“It’s a real shock. The whole soul of the town will go away”, reacted one of the residents. Jacky Marie, the mayor (without label) of the town, admitted to being upset. “I spent ten years of my life in this factory”, he reported to Ouest France.

This closure surprised everyone, even trade unionists. “We could see that there were unclear things, but we didn’t expect that”, admitted Valérie Prévost, the CFDT delegate, interviewed by France 3 Normandy. A 55-year-old employee, in the group for thirteen years, confided in shock to the Parisian : “Everything will stop. It’s incredibly brutal. “

A reclassification for the 104 employees

Now, employees are worried about their future. “We don’t know what we’re going to become […] It’s not normal for us to be warned at the last moment”, said an employee France 3. “Everyone is disgusted”, added one of his colleagues.

The group assured that it will support the 104 employees, either by offering local reclassification solutions internally or by identifying “external opportunities”. Jérémie Patrier-Leitus, deputy (Horizons) for the third constituency of the department, clarified to West France : “The director assured me that every worker and employee would be offered a permanent contract in Calvados. “

A meeting between elected officials, management and staff representatives was planned for this Friday.