The glassworks Verrerie de Monthey, Franc, Contat & Cie (colloquially known as 'Verrerie du pont') was founded in 1824 by four Savoyard families, all of whom were already involved in the glass industry. Jean Trottet, François Seingre and the brothers Jean-Thomas and François-Marie Contat left their homeland with their families to set up their own glass production facility in the Lower Valais (Balet 2005, 29). With the first glass factory, industrialisation reached the formerly tranquil town, and soon afterwards other industries settled in Monthey. Wood and water were abundant in the region, and the sand needed for glass production was imported from Cruseilles (Savoy). The goods were sold throughout western Switzerland, in Solothurn, Zurich, Aargau and Lucerne. The company won silver medals at both the 1848 National Exhibition and the 1857 Swiss Trade and Industry Exhibition (Balet 2005, 31). The business figures at the end of the 1850s testify to its success: annual turnover in 1858 amounted to 220,000 Swiss francs. That year, the company produced 120,000 kg of glass bottles, 480,000 kg of window and table glass, and 500,000 kg of white glass (Balet 2005, 32). In 1859, Monthey was connected to the Swiss railway network, and from 1860 onwards, Verrerie Franc, Contat & Cie handled almost all glass and wood transport by rail (Balet 2005, 25). At the same time, a crisis shook the company: a dispute among the shareholders led to the cessation of production in 1859 and the liquidation of the company in 1861. On 23 June 1861, the glassworks was auctioned off and the ‘Société des Verreries de Monthey’ was founded (Balet 2005, 35). The company changed hands frequently in the following years and its debts grew.

Association du Vieux-Monthey (2014, 29 juillet). La verrerie de Monthey (1824-1933). Consulté le 03.06.2020 sur http://www.vieux-monthey.ch/publications/1824-1933-la-verrerie-de-monthey/

Balet, V. (2005). 1824-1933: La Verrerie de Monthey: Ouvriers, patrons et syndicats. Fribourg: Éditions faim de siècle 2005.

Balet, V. La Verrerie de Monthey: Ouvriers, patrons et syndicats. Fribourg: Éditions faim de siècle, 2005.

Geiselberger, S. (2014). Courant Verrerie de Monthey (Schweiz, Wallis), 1910. Pressglas-Korrespondenz, (3). Abgerufen von http://www.pressglas-korrespondenz.de/archiv/pdf/pk-2014-3w-01-mb-monthey-1910.pdf