EXACOMPTA CLAIREFONTAINE

Les Papeteries Clairefontaine is a paper company belonging to the Exacompta Clairefontaine group, the only one that is both a paper producer and a converter. Its reams of paper are certified as Origine France Garantie.

History. It is in the heart of the Vosges, a department with a long paper tradition, that the history of the Clairefontaine brand begins. In 1858, Jean-Baptiste Bichelberger founded the Papeteries de Clairefontaine in Étival. The factory takes advantage of the proximity of the Meuse and has an abundance of water and rags for making paper. In a France in the midst of an industrial revolution, all the conditions are in place to ensure the plant's growth. Jean-Baptiste Bichelberger held the reins until his death in 1877,

when his son, Paul Bichelberger, succeeded him. With the help of Émile Champon, he made a major change. It introduces the use of wood as a raw material for paper. And there is no shortage of wood in the Vosges. The two men also made a decision that would prove crucial for the future of the Papeteries de Clairefontaine. Indeed, they launched the manufacture of envelopes, but especially notebooks, until then mainly produced by printers.

From 1904 to 1914, the company was managed by Louis Nusse and Étienne Bodet. The Clairefontaine paper mills have grown well and the workforce now exceeds 1,100 people. But in 1914, the Great War broke out. The men went to the front and the factories no longer operated. It is thanks to Léon Daridan that the factory restarted in 1919. In 1928, Charles Nusse, the great grandson of Jean-Baptiste Bichelberger, set up a printing and binding workshop in Paris for accounting records. The Exacompta brand was born.

After the Second World War, Léon Daridan was again in charge of rebuilding the Étival plant. It was with Charles Nusse that the Clairefontaine brand really took off as France in the Glorious Thirties discovered economic prosperity. In 1950, he took over responsibility for the Papeteries and, in 1951, launched the famous Clairefontaine notebook, inimitable with its varnished cover and purple ruler. It is also the one who gives the brand its logo to the jug, synonymous with quality for both schoolchildren and professionals. In addition, he equips the plant with state-of-the-art paper machines.

The products. Notebooks, blocks, envelopes, office equipment, binders, diaries, creative activities or atmospheric stationery, its ranges include thousands of references.

Employment. Today, the company is part of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine group, which includes some 50 companies and employs more than 3,300 people. It produces 165,000 tonnes of paper per year.