Origins

1873. Alsace is annexed by Prussia and the new occupants impose on the Alsatians what will later be called "the Option": stay on their land and become Prussian, or retain their French nationality but be dispossessed of all their goods

This is the choice made by Arsène, ancestor of the founder. In a document kept in the archives, he declared " not wanting to give his children to Prussia " and asked to be given a concession in Algeria where he had already wanted to emigrate 30 years earlier.

Installed in a small village in the Constantine region with his wife and two sons, he works a land of 35 hectares of olive trees, prickly pear, orange trees, partly drained by the Fendeck wadi.

Family legend relates that the man sported a long black beard commonly worn during the Second Empire. He used to maintain it by applying a mixture of local oils produced from Mediterranean plants.

The brand pays homage to the founder's ancestor by adapting the original formula to contemporary needs and offering beard care products from its launch. In the patriotic family tradition, the brand only integrates French suppliers and artisans into its production and sources its supplies from short circuits.