Mivelaz Bois SA

In 1945, Armand Mivelaz purchased a small sawmill that used the water power of the nearby stream to drive its machinery.

A devastating fire destroyed the business in 1959. It took several years to rebuild, and the planing mill took precedence over the sawmill. In 1968, Louis Mivelaz, Armand’s son, took over the business and expanded it. In particular, he invested in a new production hall for solid wood panels in 1978 and in a new finishing hall in 1988, which would become the company’s specialty.

In 2006, the installation of the first pellet press in French-speaking Switzerland marked a turning point in the company’s philosophy with the repurposing of waste materials.

Two new facilities were added to the site in 2002 and 2008. They were initially subleased to Mivelaz Technique Bois SA and later used for storing finished and semi-finished goods, as well as for setting up a new planing line.

In 2012, the torch was passed to the third generation. Significant investments were made in the purchase of a new 1.2-ton-per-hour pellet press to absorb some of the regional waste that had previously supplied the Pavatex plant in Fribourg. At the same time, 6,850 m² of solar panels were installed across the entire site, enabling the company to generate its own electricity. Today, this installation covers approximately 40% of the energy consumed, with the remaining 60% coming entirely from hydropower.

Since 2016, the company has also been working to reduce its energy consumption with the help of the Energy Agency for the Economy (AEnEC). It also prioritizes short supply chains by collaborating closely with local market players and offering a product range sourced entirely from the French-speaking part of Switzerland.