- In 1850, Louis Lefèvre-Utile decided to transform the family business into a real factory.
- It is the start of the innovative LU biscuit adventure, told from this Saturday at the castle of the Dukes of Nantes.
At tea time, for pastry, or simply to return to childhood, everyone likes to bite the corner of a little LU. But this iconic cookie, the brand's first and best known, hides an impressive industrial history guided by an ambition for modernity.
From this Saturday and for six months, the castle of the Dukes of Brittany in Nantes, where history began, presents a temporary exhibition of 462 objects, originals for the majority, and never shown to the public. Here are four things they teach us about the famous cookie.
LU, like the spouses Lefèvre and Utile
Let's start from the beginning: before becoming the favorite brand for many children around the world, LU is first and foremost a family story. In 1845, Jean-Romain Lefèvre, barely 20, joined his brother biscuit maker in Nancy to learn the trade. It was there that he met Pauline-Isabelle Utile, with whom he married in Nantes in 1850 and created his pastry shop.
In 1882, their son, Louis Lefèvre-Utile, decided to transform the business into a more modern factory. "It is one of the few companies that bears the name of Madame and Monsieur," notes Bertrand Guillet, director of the château des ducs.
Two towers symbols of power
The company moved to an old spinning mill along the Loire, opposite the castle. “Echoing the monument, Lefevre-Utile will want to build two large towers [there is only one left today], says Bertrand Guillet. The objective was to convey the image of a very innovative company, which it was. To show that this was where industrial power was concentrated. »At the castle, archive photos and reconstruction of the Baco quay offices are visible. A little further, we discover the mussels and recipe books for petit beurre, the first cookie created in 1886. An authentic mold of the Golden Straw, invented in 1905, is also on display.
Rather than importing the cakes, Louis Lefevre-Utile decides to develop the range: vanilla wafer, Little schoolboy ... in a few years, a hundred references are created. In 1913, no less than 1,200 workers produced 20 tonnes of cookies a day.
He invented the box, not just any
At the beginning, the cookies are sold in bulk, in the boutique on rue Boileau in Nantes (moreover very nicely reconstructed in the exhibition). But LU will also innovate in terms of communication, packaging for transport and packaging. A large part of the exhibition is dedicated to the first cardboard boxes, quickly replaced by tin containers, always very well decorated. "He understood that with these beautiful illustrated boxes, he was going to attract customers," explains Bertrand Guillet. From a simple box we go to the object box. "
To be part of its era, LU signs collaborations with many artists, including Alfons Mucha, at the origin of the most emblematic illustrations. Less attractive but more practical for keeping the goods, this packaging made of aluminum foil on which a muslin of paper is stuck is also an invention of LU.
The same designer as the Coca bottle
After the war, advertising became even more important. And in 1957, LU decided to review its brand image by surrounding itself with one of the most famous designers of the time Raymond Loewy, creator of the Shell logo or the bottle of Coca-Cola. The two white letters on a red background are created.
"The company will then take on a new dimension and move away from the principles established and developed by Louis Lefèvre-Utile," explains a panel. Another story will now be written ”. Acquired by Danone, LU is now owned by the Mondelez group.
LU, a century of innovation. Visible until January 3, 2021 at the castle of the Dukes in Nantes. Full price: 8 euros.
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- Innovation
- Nantes
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