How did the Revols pass down their porcelain-making secrets over time?
How did they manage to move forward, even when certain innovations scared the older ones?
Story of a family saga facing the challenge of History.
PODCAST
We are in 1789. In the south of France, the storm is brewing on this summer evening.
Along a country lane, a young man watches the mud flowing by the rain.
It is thick and white.
In this mud, there is actually kaolin, a kind of clay.
It was precisely at this time that Joseph-Marie Revol would have had a flash of genius: to use this unique material to create a more solid earthenware, able to resist fire!
This stormy evening marks the beginning of the Revol legend.
This family of entrepreneurs is behind the incredible success of crumpled porcelain mugs, used in the best gourmet restaurants and up to McDonald's!
1768: the birth of the first "Atelier Revol"
But the real saga of the Revol family begins in reality before this famous stormy evening, with a wedding, that of the parents of Joseph-Marie.
The family of Pierre, the groom, manufactures earthenware near Lyon.
That of Magdeleine, the bride, of ceramics in the Drôme.
They therefore got married on April 7, 1768 and together launched the first “Atelier Revol”.
But their happiness does not last: ten years after their marriage, Pierre dies.
Magdeleine was then only 37 years old.
She finds herself alone to raise her children and run a factory that is still in its infancy.
“Magdeleine understood that there were possible resources in the village where she lived.
At that time, she is a worker, she literally puts her hands in the dough.
She makes pottery which she bakes in the collective oven of the village ”, explains Olivier Passot, who today represents the 9th generation at the head of Revol.
Magdeleine Revol has an obsession: to prepare the continuation.
She does everything to ensure that her sons, especially Joseph-Marie, will take over.
She asks her employees to train them, the sooner the better.
And it works !
The new generation is here soon.
She is going to get married in her turn, then come the grandchildren, as in all families.
Discover Marques de Famille, the podcast that tells you the stories behind cult brands
Schmidt kitchens, Mustela baby milk, Flavigny anise, Ligne Roset sofas or the PAP.fr site, you are bound to know these brands!
Behind each of them, there is a business story.
And a family story.
Each week, Elisabeth Assayag introduces you to very strong characters, genius ideas that started from nothing and generations of entrepreneurs who have faced History with a capital H.
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The incredible meeting with Paul Ricard
At the turn of the 20th century, in the workshop, we modernized.
In particular, we started to use molds for casting ceramics, 20 years ahead of the competition.
Around the workshop this time, Hector Revol, the new director, has the idea of building houses sold without profit to his workers, on the model of the settlers.
But the First World War breaks out.
More than 8 million French people are mobilized.
Among them, there are obviously a lot of workers.
When peace returns, production struggles to restart.
It was in those years that the Revols made a decisive encounter: with Paul Ricard!
"One day, Paul Ricard came up with a design, that of a pitcher that holds the ice cubes, to cool the water, but not too much. That, in itself, was innovative. And it was in 1936 that Revol has started producing Ricard pitchers, ”Olivier Passot continues.
Yellow Ricard pitchers, manufactured by Revol, which have since become collector's items!
That crumpled mug genius idea
But during the 20th century, these innovations were no longer enough, "made in China" cups gradually imposed themselves.
It's a disaster for Revol.
To get your head out of the water, you would need an idea that stands out, an idea of genius ... At the turn of the 2000s, the company's biggest customer placed a strange order.
He's based in Germany and he's tired of seeing his employees filling entire garbage cans with plastic cups.
He would like a sturdy porcelain cup, but with a crumpled appearance!
Olivier Passot, who joined the family business a few years earlier, believes in it.
But it remains to convince the rest of his family.
“My father immediately hated this model, no doubt.
He had brought it back to the factory, but he was forced to admit that it is a product that has had real success, ”recalls the current president of Revol with a smile.
The crumpled mug has since been copied all over the world.
But today it is protected by a patent.
And it has also become a collector's item!