De Quimper à Saint-Malo : Découvrez le “Made in Bretagne” – Documentaire Voyage en France – MG

De Quimper à Saint-Malo : Découvrez le “Made in Bretagne” – Documentaire Voyage en France – MG

When I came back to Brittany
as a child, I spent my holidays at my grandmother’s house. Every
time we went to the beach at 4:00, she would put the bottle of cider
in the water hole and the bread… There’s no baguette, no
country bread with the… That one, there you go. The can of pâté, a real slab, that one. And we ate that, but… When we think of Brittany,
we imagine endless beaches, family holidays,
solid stone houses and fishing ports with such a special charm. But there is another Brittany that is
less well known, far from the tourist routes. Brittany boasts precious know-how,
manufacturing, crafting, decorating, perpetuating tradition
or inventing new products. Some say that products made in Brittany
are even better than those made in France. We will try
to understand why. Made in Brittany is a story
of adventurers with exceptional qualities. Like Loïc, the Convivial, its little
blue box is the favorite pâté of the French. A concentrated essence of Brittany that has been travelling
the world for a century. Or even Jean-Guy and Michel,
the Incredibles. They have been fighting for 20 years to
keep their famous Breton striped shirt manufactured here in Finistère. There is also Jean-Pierre, the Conqueror. He saved Quimper earthenware
five years ago and now wants to revive it in America. Malo, proud as a rock,
is at the head of the Produit en Bretagne association, 370 companies
and more than 100,000 jobs. For people, that speaks volumes. That probably speaks louder than a
somewhat abstract, somewhat distant “made in France” label. Eric, the charmer,
receives buyers from all over the world throughout the year to introduce them to
the finest Breton gastronomy. And finally, Sylvie,
a formidable businesswoman. With its range of ice creams made
in Saint-Malo, it wants to take on the biggest American brands. Yes, it’s a bit crazy, but I believe in it.
We have to go. Locmaria district, in Quimper. Shall we go to the 4pm tour? Come on, follow me. About fifteen curious people
met to discover the earthenware factory in Rio, one of the oldest
companies in France. This is a very old house that I’m going to
show you, because it’s been here for over 300 years. The first person to
settle here arrived in 1690. It was Jean-Baptiste Bousquet. He came from the south of France and
settled here because it had everything he needed: water,
land, fire. The water, you must have noticed,
the Odet river which is just to the side. The land was in the
Toulvaine Cove, a little bit down below, and the fire was around it with the woods where we could
start the large batches. And there are currently still 26 of us
in this workshop, doing everything by hand. So, this is what I’m going to show you. How is earthenware made? So, first of all, we’re going to try
to form a piece. We’re going to give our clay a shape. There are three ways to do this:
casting, calibration, and pressing. After this piece is made,
we will bake it at 1040 degrees to obtain this hard shape, which you see,
which we call the biscuit. We will then dip this biscuit
in water and glass powder. It’s called enameling. Then the painters
will come and apply their colors. You see, it’s very clear,
because they are metal oxides. The final step
is the second cooking. At 940 degrees for 9 hours, it will,
you see, reveal the colours and cause the enamel that was applied at the beginning to
vitrify and completely cover the piece. That’s the magic of earthenware. I’ll let you discover it for yourselves
and we’ll talk again right after. In complete silence, the female painters practice their art. In three centuries, Quimper’s touch has
made the city famous throughout the world. This is where we will shape
this famous bowl with handles. This is where it was born in our workshops. When tourism arrived in 1936,
really paid holidays, we said to ourselves: We have to do
something very special. A little Breton boy at the bottom and the first name at the
front, it was a guaranteed gift. And it still works. It’s really the item we sell the most,
the handle bowl, the real one, the one that’s made in Quimper. Quimper earthenware,
an authentic art for all budgets. From a few dozen euros for the
ear-handled bowl, to several thousand for the rarest pieces. Classified as a living heritage company,
this old lady, born in 1690, almost
went extinct five years ago. The one who saved him
was Jean-Pierre Le Goff, the Conqueror. An engineer and business leader
in the industry, he crossed paths with earthenware somewhat by chance. I was told: There is a company
in liquidation in Quimper, in Rio Quimper. My son told me: You
should make an offer. I found myself in court all alone,
so I was the only one to make an offer to take over.
I didn’t think I would win. I thought that Henriot Quimper
is such an iconic brand of Brittany that it was obvious
someone would take it. So, I made an offer
and then I won. So, I found myself with
Henriot Quimper and knowing nothing about it. But since then, I take
great pleasure in it. Are you placing an order? Are
you placing an order? Yes, you do them. Since the takeover, Jean-Pierre has only one
idea in mind: to restore the Quimper earthenware to its former glory. He collaborates with
contemporary artists, as in the great era of the interwar period. It also brings back in limited series
the mythical sets of the 1920s. On this table, the service
of the mother of the painter Maturin Méheu. It’s a rare piece. It was first published here
in 1922 by Maturin Méheu, who came to work here. These were the first sophisticated sets
of the time that evoked the old man, a father figure that we see behind him, there. These were the first new features. It had been sold numbered for 8,800 euros including VAT. It’s a great service and not very
expensive considering the quality and precision.
Everything is done. Everything is done by hand. By
taking over the pottery factory, Jean-Pierre Le Goff found himself
at the head of a veritable treasure. Those are Henriot’s attics,
which are not open to the public. It’s quite superb,
with the original dust. And there are roughly 10,000
pieces and models in this attic. There was a whole series of American presidents. We only have one left: Andrew Jackson. That’s it, that’s the last one we have left. There you have it, Andrew Jackson. Quimper earthenware was very popular
in the United States until the 1980s. And then, it almost disappeared. Then Jean-Pierre had a
surprising idea to set out to conquer America again. On the occasion of the Ermione’s trip
to the United States, I released this piece, La Fayette United States, which I offer
as a gift, which I do not sell. And Obama, I offered him
one and he replied. You see, there, here’s the letter:
Say Jean-Pierre, there you go. The White House. He says he is very
touched by this gift. This letter is incredibly popular. And so, I am returning to the United States,
precisely with this letter which could be a blank check to get back in and
bring Quimper earthenware back into the United States. A
month later, in New York, Jean-Pierre has a first
meeting in this 5-star palace with Pam Cooney, importer of earthenware. Thank you again for
your thoughtful gesture. I wish you all the best. Sincerely, Barack Obama. That’s impressive. This is our latest collection. So this is new, this is Gagne,
a lot of new things you don’t probably see in US for export, but why not?
Never know. And you sell only on the web.
Only on the internet. Yes, only on the Internet, yes. It’s too expensive to run a,
they call it a brick and mortar store. But if you visit New York and you don’t
have any store, it will be a problem. That is another thing. And how to tell the story. Because in a store, you can see people,
you can chat with sellers. The stores in New York are
changing the way they do business. We’ll see, there are some nice shops,
but indeed, we are in a changing movement. In the taxi taking him
to Union Square, Jean-Pierre establishes his plan of attack. A few addresses
and a good dose of audacity. I have the 41 Madison, 41 Madison. And then there’s ABC Home and Fish Eilet. I have an airfouer company in France. The name is Henriot Camper. This is totally unmade. And I offer this plate to Barack Obama. Okay, but only our stuff.
Okay. Only our design. You produce, you edit by yourself.
Okay. Yes, yes, yes. Go to ABC Coupet. It’s on my list.
Is it good? Much better.
Perfect. Thank you very much.
Bye. Bye. So, that’s the whole building there.
Come on. On Park Avenue, Jean-Pierre stops to greet the Frenchman Michel Bernardo, a
star of porcelain. Jean, hello.
I’m doing well ? It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. Michel Bernardo is actually doing very well. He is currently selling a limited series
by the artist Jeff Koons, the contemporary Andy Warhol. Yes, well that’s new, that. Yes, that’s
$8,000, after all. That ?
Yes. Oh yes ? And you have buyers willing to pay $8,000?
Of course. These are limited edition series of 2,300
copies, so you see, it’s still…
2,300 copies? Yes, we’ve already sold more than half of them
in less than a year. Are you doing sets of 2,300?
With Koons, yes. Well, there you have it, I’ve found the Jeff Koons,
the Andy Warhol of tomorrow, there you go. In
this city where anything is possible, Jean-Pierre lands a meeting with
Richard Cohen, the man who reigns supreme over the culinary arts in New York. It’s very kind of you to accept
this impromptu visit. No problem. Our campaign was
very well known in the US. He was very well known. 40 years ago.
That’s true. So you know Lafayette?
I believe. Ok. And I offered the number
one to Barack Obama. That’s very impressive. Let’s go for the last one. I will try to show you. This is…
That’s interesting. Ah, good. Full set, 43 pieces. And the price? €8,800. It’s very cheap. Not bad at all.
It’s absolutely fantastic. And history. We have a large
building made of one building. A building is being converted into a hotel. They build a hotel, they say: OK,
we need food for the kitchen, we need
food for dinner, etc. The great return of Quimper earthenware to the United States seems to be well underway. After three marathon days, Jean-Pierre
leaves with some very good contacts. His next idea: to bring
American tourists to Quimper. Meanwhile, in Bryant Park, expatriate Bretons met up for a little
moment of happiness. It looks good, actually. Pork from Brittany. Not your ships. That’s classy. GOOD.
Good, very matte. Very matte. It reminds me of home. That’s it. Good old days. It’s nice to rediscover the tastes
of when we were young. There was pâté on the table every day. Yeah. Is it easy? All you had to do was open the box. It’s good, it’s really good. This little blue box that is
in the hearts of all Bretons, we went to meet it. Welcome to Pouldrezic, a charming
town in Finistère with 2000 inhabitants. Famous for the beauty of its beaches,
but especially for its pâté. 100% pure Breton port. 35 million boxes are
manufactured here every year. Loïc Einaff, the
great-grandson of the brand’s founder, is now
at the head of the company. And he sells his pâté
all over the world. In the northern hemisphere,
in the southern hemisphere, to the east, to the west, on virtually every continent. One country you wouldn’t think of,
but it’s Chile, where we have a strong presence. And then, on the opposite side, there’s Japan,
or even Singapore, where we’ve been for almost 30 years. It is still a certain freedom
for us to know that our products are sold in so many countries. The world is vast, so that
‘s also a note of optimism. A unique taste and an attractive price, that could be enough to explain the success of this pâté. But there is something else,
a very special relationship with consumers based on simplicity
and friendliness. Does n’t that apply to you? Childhood, good things, pleasure. It’s fun. The taste is also inimitable. It’s true, there’s a particular taste to it.
But that’s the fun. I say: Hey, I have a little
piece of Brittany with me. That’s all of Brittany. To understand how this pâté came about,
you have to delve into the memories and archives of the family,
with Loïc and his father Jean-Jacques. I saw
that one running in the factory. Ah good ?
Ah yes, very good. Very, very good.
The typing machine. But that was when
I was like a little kid. Yes, very good. We are Men in 1907. Jean Einaff, a farmer very involved
in the life of his region, creates a vegetable canning company. Its main objective:
to improve the daily lives of the population and prevent the exodus of Bretons
to Paris or abroad. You know, at that time,
what was developing, particularly at the tip of Brittany,
was the canning industry, which was still relatively recent. It was mainly canned fish,
but here, there was also the development of canned vegetables. And so, my grandfather wanted
the local produce, which was a lot of peas,
green beans in particular, to be canned here. During the First World War, three
of Jean and Naaf’s sons were at the front. Jean wants to help feed his
children and their comrades in the trenches. He then turned his attention to another
local resource, the Breton pig. My grandfather wasn’t a
butcher specializing in underwear. He had the idea of ​​putting the entire
pig, all the pieces of pig’s eggs, in a box,
which was not traditionally done by butchers. But the product was very good. In fact, his first
name was his favorite. And this pâté,
little by little, became the subject of requests, many local requests, in fact. Requests from people. They wrote to us: For our dear
prisoners, for our soldiers, for our dear soldiers too. Having tasted your favorite pork pâté
and found it excellent, I sent some to my son, a
second lieutenant in the 26th Infantry in Salonika, who, like me,
found it very exquisite. I am sending you a short note to
ask if you would be willing to send me two or three dozen
boxes of pork pâté to send to my husband who is a prisoner in Germany. So, sir, while awaiting the answer,
I send you off- I believe this pie truly deserves its name. He is indeed the favorite,
especially of the poor prisoners. Before leaving Toulon,
I received some boxes of your excellent pâté from my parents. Having given some to my classmates to taste,
they unanimously told me that it was very good and that they
wanted to have it constantly. So that’s how Einaf pâté was
born, because people found it very good. In 1920, the French Navy
placed its first order. Einaf pâté becomes Mataf pâté.
Child. Until the 1960s,
it continued to be sold mainly in Brittany. But in 1972,
the company decided to stop canning vegetables
to focus entirely on its pâté. The challenge is significant and
advertising campaigns are launched on the radio, then on television. I remember when we used to go with my
grandfather Jean Enaff to deliver the boxes of Enaff pâté. To make a good pâté, my grandfather
had a very simple recipe. You have to put all the pieces
of pork in it, even the hams. You don’t change a
winning recipe or the way you work. Like his great-grandfather,
Loïc buys his pigs as close as possible to the rooster of rosique. At Ferme du Ruau, for example,
located just four kilometers away. How are you ?
Thanks very much. Oh, great. Those ones were born yesterday. Of the 13,000 ports raised here each year,
Loïc buys 11,000. And he’s quite a good customer. I was told that you buy pigs for
a little more than others. That’s not wrong, either. Is this story true? No, no, no, no, no,
it’s true, no, it’s not false. It doesn’t make sense to drive prices
down, because driving prices down means driving
quality down. Don’t get your hopes up. It’s neck-quality. Pigs tied up on the shutter,
transport time reduced to a minimum. And to control all stages
of production, the factory even has its own slaughterhouse. It’s completely unique. This is probably the only slaughterhouse
that is dedicated to a single product. Also unique is the use
of all parts of the pig. This is very atypical,
normally, for this pig. You’re going to remove the ham,
you’re going to remove the shoulder, you’re going to remove the fillet,
you’re going to remove a whole bunch of pieces. To sell them in butcher shops,
to sell them to be consumed differently or to make other products. For Einaf pâté,
and this was the initial idea, it was to use all
the meat from the carcass. This is the visible part. But one small, well-kept secret remains. A skillful blend of spices that gives
the pâté its distinctive taste. There are only two or three people
who really know the, I would say, fundamentals. And then three or four others
who know a little bit about it. But it’s true that there is
a real secret after all. Yes, yes, yes, yes. The Enaff family’s priority
has not changed. To contribute to the
economic development of the region. The factory now has
230 employees and generates nearly 50 million euros in
annual revenue. The brand owes this success first and foremost
to its consumers, or rather to its fans. To gauge the scale of the phenomenon,
one must visit the brand’s Facebook page. Gildas Collin, from the marketing department,
enjoys it every morning. 142,656 fans, exactly. We have so many photos that we
can organize them by theme. That is to say, in fact,
we have a collection of photos with animals. We have the pâténaf box around the world. We have the recycling of pâténaf boxes,
since people make all sorts of things, clocks, lampposts. And so, we have a specific album. And, what’s funny
is that it feeds on itself, since it gives ideas to our
fans who already have plenty. Hi Gildas.
Hi Anthony. Did you have a good trip?
Yeah, it’s fine. Anthony Serrazin, an actor,
is also among the fans. Two towers. He wanted to take a closer look at the
strong bond that unites the Little Blue Box with thousands of families. So, he delved
into the mail archives, 100 years of correspondence,
and turned it into a show. I’m talking about my
childhood in the 1930s. At that time, we
only knew simple pleasures. There was no varied menu. In the summer, during paid holidays
or on Sundays, we would go to the sea. And there, facing the ocean,
the most anticipated moment was the opening of the little blue box. It was festive and it whetted
everyone’s appetite. In the letters we receive
for the show, it’s mostly from people who say:
I want to talk to you about something that happened in my life. I got married thanks
to a new can of pâté. They say that and it’s true, like you
said, it’s good, it’s free. That is to say, people are not asking
for a box of pâté or anything else in exchange, they are just
telling this story and sending it to Enaf. And that’s incredibly powerful. This summer Sunday,
fans from all over France gathered in Pouldrezic
for the annual Garden Pâté. A giant picnic in a cheerful and simple atmosphere. Quickly, quickly, let’s get ready for the photo,
and we will not accept any absences. The very first century of the pâté
is being celebrated with great pomp. 3,000 people are gathered
in the family photo. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Another strength of the Bretons
is their pride. Hundreds of business leaders gathered in Brest
. Some present their new product,
others receive awards. At the end of the morning, alongside
Jean-Yves Ledrian, a rare image. The giants of mass retail
greet each other warmly on stage. Michel-édouard Leclerc and Serge Papin,
the president of Système U, seem to be the best of friends. Only the Bretons
could achieve this kind of feat. On that day, the 1,000 people present
in the room were part of the same family, that of Produits en Bretagne. A label created in 1995 to try to
cope with a severe economic crisis. We move on to the social aspect with 76
new layoffs announced in Rennes. Three weeks after filing for bankruptcy,
CB Industries, the raincoat factory in Fougères, announces 48
job cuts, 400 people in the streets this afternoon after
last week’s announcement of the closure of a vegetable cannery. It is the early 1990s. Brittany is suffering. Factory closures are piling up. To finance the economy,
some bosses came up with a very simple but innovative concept:
encouraging Bretons to consume products made in their region. The rest of the story is told to us
by Malo Bussel-Dubourg, the product manager in Brittany. It happened through this very
first leaflet, with the brand Produits en Bretagne
of the time, which is not the current brand Produits en Bretagne,
which was tested in store, a dozen stores, of the Leclerc chain. So it’s Leclerc, but from the tip
of Brittany, the Scarmor. They had agreed with a few
companies at the very beginning to test the idea, to check if the idea had
any potential or not. And so, consumers were
surveyed, and the products were labeled for the occasion. Consumers were asked:
What do you think of this idea? If you saw a brand that
produced in Brittany, would that resonate with you? Would that make you
prefer those products? And the response was positive enough
for the adventure to be officially launched. The results will exceed
all expectations. Sales of products bearing
the famous lighthouse logo are soaring. The economy is revived,
jobs are created. In just over 20 years, 370
Breton companies will join the association. Today, products made in Brittany
represent more than 100,000 jobs. Let’s take a quick trip to the store. In Hervé Le Goff’s store,
as in all of Brittany, it is impossible to do your
shopping without coming across the famous logo. The famous Couille d’amandes,
a must-try in Brittany. Roscoff onion confit in Hausset. Products for making an aperitif. We have products potentially
in every aisle. The logo is everywhere here. It’s on the products,
it’s on the walls. It needs to stay
constantly in people’s minds, because otherwise we actually forget. And if we forget, then,
in all good faith, we won’t think that we have to give our preference. We start with a product that was
made in Brittany, if we want to create jobs in Brittany. For new products,
we ask our members to include a special mention. The number of employees, 37 employees,
is the message of Produits en Bretagne and it makes it extremely concrete. To measure the effectiveness of the concept,
let’s take the example of Cara Braze, the salted butter caramel. Heading to Belle-Île-en-Mers,
45 minutes by boat from Quibron. Hello Christophe.
Hello Malo. I’m doing well ?
Alright. Did the crossing go well?
Flawless. Welcome.
THANKS. Christophe Nisseron’s workshop is
running at full capacity. Whether it’s candies, caramel cream or
liquid caramel, today it employs 30 people
to successfully meet the demands. We start at 5:00 am. All right.
And it ends at 5:00 PM. The small jars.
It’s being distributed all over France. So of course, Brittany as a priority,
and all of France, and a little bit of Japan. Yet, when he embarked
on the caramel adventure, Christophe felt quite alone in the middle
of his island and its 4,500 inhabitants. He had three employees. We are on an island. So, there was no agri-food industry on Belle-Île
. There weren’t any left because
there were canneries. When we were authorized and therefore members
and received our first emails about products in Brittany. We felt like we were connected
to the whole of Breton production. It was a fabulous moment for me. As soon as he became part of the products
in Brittany, Christophe saw his order books fill up. The major retailers
welcomed him with open arms. He hired one person per year and
increased his production by 40 to reach 200 tons
of caramel today. These are really examples where we are
in areas where it is far from easy to maintain employment. And so,
by being in a network, by working together,
we demonstrate that it is possible. ” Made in Brittany”
also means a lot of audacity. Saint-Malo is famous for its ramparts,
but people also come to enjoy its ice creams and other sorbets. So renowned that sometimes you have to
wait more than an hour for an ice cream cone. Then Sylvie Bondil, a businesswoman
who stops at nothing, had an idea. When I saw that there were so many
fans, I thought: People are having so much fun with this product,
why shouldn’t they be having fun on the other side of the world too? So that’s what really made me
want to be able to export ice cream internationally, starting from the same laboratory, from the same manufacturing process
. That’s how the idea for ice cream
came about, because when you arrive in Brittany, the agri-food industry takes hold,
sweet treats take hold, caramel, ice cream, all of that,
it seems obvious and so I wanted to launch it.
Yes, it’s a bit crazy, but I believe in it. We have to go. Sylvie will fight to convince
the banks to support her. She buys back the laboratory and finally unlocks
the secret of Saint-Malo ice cream, a very simple recipe. We add fruit puree,
sugar and water. That is to say, there are
no chemicals. We do not work
with industrial powder at all. We don’t add any coloring,
we don’t add any preservatives. We don’t use any chemicals. We really don’t use any chemicals. Sylvie creates her own
brand: Moustache. It is launching a full-frontal attack on the
American ice cream giants, and to take their customers away,
it is betting everything on its packaging. So the idea was to create eye-
catching packaging for a high-end ice cream, therefore using black and gold codes. And then afterwards, the fact of putting
a dog instead, it’s not just a dog by the way, because it’s also
characters, but it was the slightly offbeat side. People are watching, they’re smiling. And it’s true, when you manage to make people
smile right away, I think a part
of the desire to buy is already won over. In Paris, people are starting
to take an interest in these ice creams. It’s a good start,
but Sylvie wants to go much further. So, last week I was
in Japan, at a trade show called Foodex, which is actually the key to entering
Asia, since we made contacts in Hong Kong,
Macau, the Philippines, and Korea. Korea is very interested;
these are fairly high-end products for that market. So there you have it, everything still needs to be worked on,
of course, but there was a very friendly reception from the brand. I will make a C-E-R, sale at station 3. Please move away from the
coin bank. Eric Voulon’s specialty is precisely his specialty: attracting foreign customers to
sell them products made in Brittany. Hello.
Good evening. That evening, Eric received
Malaysian buyers who worked for high-end supermarket chains. They travelled 10,000 kilometers
to discover Breton culinary specialties. During your stay,
I will ask you to wear the small badge.
THANKS. And that’s a little welcome gift. Eric has two days to get them to
fill their order book. They work
for Bretagne Commerce International, whose objective is to promote
trade with foreign countries. This is the third delegation, so
we are hosting them this year. We had the Fairway brand
from the United States and previously the Hyundai brand, which came from Korea. And at the end of last year, we
welcomed Chinese and Polish people. So.
Okay? First visit to Primel Gastronomie, one of the leaders in frozen food in France. French regulations are among the strictest in the world in terms
of hygiene and traceability. This is very appealing to
Asian buyers for whom food safety is a priority. It’s very clean, very efficient. I like it. It really allows them to see the
manufacturing conditions, the recipes. This is really important. The making of puff pastries
is a real spectacle. It’s beautiful. Wow, that’s fantastic.
The way he seals the dough is really tricky. Like little fingers. Tristan Falkin, the factory manager, wants them to taste as many products as possible. Risotto, pesto pasta, baby food
or The meal is here, it’s barely 10:00. Risotto at 10:00 am,
that goes down well. We need to adapt. You noticed that I
didn’t eat much of it. Their purchasing power is increasing today,
which allows them to travel and consume imported products. That’s really the niche we’re
positioning ourselves in, to bring our expertise to their homes. The Breton.
Breton, in this case. Again, the Breton is open,
so we even cook paella. The moment everyone was
waiting for has arrived: to leaf through them. The texture is very nice.
On the dough. I didn’t expect it to taste like that. It’s almost like it
comes up from a bakery. So it’s very nice. I think from Malaysia, OK. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much. See you soon. See you
soon. Thank you.
Bye bye. Le Dian-sur-Rance,
not far from Saint-Malo. Here, we have been making Val de Rance cider,
100% natural, since 1953. Hello. Good morning. Good morning.
THANKS. THANKS. With the
protocol formalities completed, Nolwenn takes her guests
for a tasting at the source. This is a blend
of semi-dry organic cider. What we are looking for is a golden orange color, a beautiful clarity. Today, we have absolutely no presence in this area. So it’s true that if we could
expand in Malaysia, we know there’s potential. We know that the people who are,
moreover, today, are major players
in Malaysian distribution. So, obviously, the goal
is to be able to attract these new consumers. And so, with ice cream, we’re going to innovate.
This is where we’re going to innovate. It’s true that ice
is easy to transport, you see. It doesn’t melt. Sylvie Bondil is the last person
of the day to try her luck. If she succeeds in winning over
Malaysian buyers with her ice cream, a market of 30 million
consumers will open up to her. You have to know that in an ice cream
business, 95% of the people are using chemical
powders, and it’s very, very rare to find people that are
still using very traditional methods. The argument is well-rehearsed, but in business, there are often unforeseen events. In
Malaysia, religion forbids petting dogs and bringing them
into houses. The buyers are a little embarrassed. Leopas, if you like, dogs,
they prefer cats, if you like. If you want to pick an animal, the
other cat people are not the dog people. So it’s cultural subserities that
need to be taken into consideration. The dogs, it seems that it is
not well adapted to Malaysia. So it’s possible to have the
pot with another figure? With another figure.
Okay. To develop specifically,
we need volume, obviously, but we can. Obviously, we can, but we can. Now all that’s left is to taste the ice cream. Very good.
Really good. It makes you happy. Yes, definitely. Especially with the ice cream. We start discussing
shipping and the cold chain. That’s a pretty good sign. Every connection must be well connected. Otherwise, this product already melt. Now, they are on more
technical, administrative discussions, the price of transport, etc. But indeed,
I think that the Breton know-how, there, it passed on all by itself. I feel they enjoyed
the different products. We can see that they ate
and drank many different products, and that they enjoyed the different tastes. So that’s already very positive. We’ll take stock in a few
weeks or a few months. We need to let things take their course
and let these visits simply turn into orders. In the sixth arrondissement of the capital, it’s a paradise for stripes. Foreign tourists and trendy young Parisians alike are
drawn to Brittany’s iconic garment: the Breton striped shirt. Here you have the other model. That’s the one I had before. And the cut is different. It’s simple. It gives it
a slightly dressed-up look. And it also gives it a bit of a
French feel, let’s be honest. There’s that little “made in France” touch
that makes it even nicer. This Breton shirt is made 560
kilometers from Paris, in Finistère, behind this double door. Welcome to Quimper,
to the Armorlux workshops. At the helm of this company, which is resisting globalization
against all odds , are
two lifelong friends, Michel Guéguin and Jean-Guy Lefloc. One of their greatest sources of pride is
the show they offer their visitors. Those who come are quite struck
by this door that opens and by this rather unexpected number of
garment operators who are still working on French soil. I believe it’s a shock,
but in a good way, that all
visitors who come here receive. There is a very positive shock, in any case. The Breton sailor shirt, a
symbol of “made in France” since the celebrity photo of Arnaud Montebourg,
owes its reputation above all to its quality. No fewer than seven steps are required
to make it, and it starts with knitting the striped fabric. First we buy the fillets,
you see, these are fillets, there. These nets go into the machine
and are knitted with this type of tool. You know that Armoire-Lup
is like the king of the Breton stripe shirt. We produce 400,000 to
500,000 Breton striped shirts per year. And a sailor shirt is basically
made with, let’s say, a good twenty kilometers of thread. Then there is dyeing,
stabilization to prevent shrinkage,
some of the strictest quality control for dresses,
cutting the fabric carefully following the stripes, sewing,
ironing and packaging. Some seamstresses have been
with the company for over 40 years. We are lucky to have
magic hands here. They are virtually irreplaceable. These are haute couture hands,
they are such precious hands that they are very difficult to find. In any case, what is certain is that
abroad, they are not the same. When they took over Armand Lux ​​in 1993,
the two friends had a common goal: to maintain staff in Quimper at all costs. They promise it to the brand’s founder
, a certain Mr. Hubacher. The story begins in 1938. Mr. Hubacher is Swiss. He arrived in Quimper to launch a business
making high-end underwear. He settled his family,
his machines and his employees in this pretty house on the Route de Brest. Mr. Hubacher’s son, Walter,
is now 80 years old, but he remembers perfectly the beginnings of Armorlux. I remember the sound of the
sewing machines humming. Did you live up there? Yes, so we lived…
upstairs? On the top floor, on the second floor.
Hello Mrs. Godes tenants, former.
Hello Mrs. I’m the one who spent my youth here.
It’s true ? Yes.
That’s funny. Do you want to go home? I would like to see
the ground floor, yes. Oh yes.
What is this? So, the workshop was here,
15 meters wide, 20 meters long. And how many people…
300 square meters. And how many people
worked in this workshop? Do you remember?
There were up to 30 people, I think. 30, 30 five people, approximately. So, you never came back?
No. All right.
It’s moving. Yes. Yes, because it really
goes way back in time. It’s a little moving to…
Yes, I don’t know. Valtère was going back in time. One day,
when it came to finding the sign and the brand, my father inquired
to find out what the region was called. They told him: This is Armour,
the land of the sea. He said: That sounds very nice. And the luxury, the ”
luxury” ending, had appealed to him. It means light in Latin. So he said: What if we
made Armour Lux? And that’s how it started. In the early 1950s,
Mr. Hubacher imagined a new knitting pattern with two spools of
white yarn and one of blue yarn. His Breton striped shirt would become the
brand’s iconic product. With success, the company moved
into this brand new factory. In 1970, Armand Lux ​​launched its first
ready-to-wear collection and in 1982 opened its first boutique in Paris. The brand employs up to 600 people. In 1993, when Jean-Guy and Michel
bought it, it was running out of steam and had only 450 employees. The two engineers will have to fight
and face foreign competition. To boost sales
and hiring, we need to innovate and expand our product range. 1,500 new products are created each
year by the designers in the design office. The whole family should be able to dress
in the colours of Brittany from head to toe, with the stripe as a backdrop. We are in a factory of creation. Before being in a factory to manufacture,
we create, we never stop. And that’s important. Of course, it’s essential. We’re also in the fashion industry. In fashion, you have to create,
so you create, you create all the time. All the time, but we have a chance. Compared to many,
many of our colleagues, we have the advantage of having
a real gem in our hands: the stripe. It’s a safe haven asset. It’s true that
consumers feel like they’re going back to years
when life was easier. For us, at least, this is our life,
this is the life of this house. And we are very happy that this stripe
is now recognized almost worldwide. In addition to fashion, the two Bretons will
make their mark in another world: professional clothing. Jean-Guy and Michel will fight hard
and win several very large contracts. They dress, for example,
the 120,000 postal workers, the Carrefour salespeople or the
35,000 SNCF employees, with a miracle fabric invented by Michel. This knitwear has the unique feature
of being double-sided. You have cotton on one side and on
the other side, a polyamide wool. This unique feature allows the knitwear
to be worn in both winter and summer. Today, Armand Rlux generates over
90 million euros in revenue. Jean-guilot Floy and Michel Guéguin
have succeeded in their gamble. They employ 550 people,
100 more than when they bought the company in 1993. I think you’ve come across
quite a few Breton companies. You have discovered pretty much
the same mindset everywhere, that is to say, this will to never
give up and then to go all the way with the bets. We have this desire to respect the land,
the history, and this desire for adventure, just like the great
Breton sailors of yesteryear. We are eternally dissatisfied
and perpetual fighters for perfection. It’s kind of in our
Breton mindset and we’re all like that. Never give up,
always stay the course and look far ahead,
be united and determined to take on new challenges,
that is what unites these men and women who are writing together the great
adventure of Made in Brittany.

Loin des cartes postales, une Bretagne qui fabrique, innove et exporte…

Pour découvrir les merveilles des plus belles régions de France, c’est ici – Abonnez-vous 👉 http://bit.ly/3zjR2Vj 🙏

À Quimper, la faïence Henriot (1690) renaît entre mains expertes, four à 940° et modèles mythiques remis en lumière… jusqu’au rêve américain relancé par une pièce offerte à Barack Obama. À Pouldreuzic, l’épopée du pâté Hénaff, “le préféré”, des tranchées de 1914 à la table des marins, devient une saga familiale et populaire.

Le label Produits en Bretagne fédère 370 entreprises et plus de 100 000 emplois : caramel au beurre salé qui change d’échelle, surgelés haute exigence, et glaces Moustache pensées pour séduire l’Asie.
Côté style, la marinière d’Armor-Lux se tricote à Quimper depuis 1938 : savoir-faire des “mains de fée”, innovations textiles et grands marchés professionnels.

Une traversée des ateliers, des fours et des lignes de coupe, portée par un même état d’esprit : ne rien lâcher, respecter l’héritage, viser l’excellence. La Bretagne comme vous ne l’avez jamais vue : un pays d’artisans, d’industriels et d’aventuriers du goût.

Réalisé par Vincent GUÉRIN.
© MORGANE PRODUCTION