{"id":3140,"date":"2025-10-10T16:35:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T14:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lzrnvvd.cluster121.hosting.ovh.net\/?page_id=3140"},"modified":"2026-02-03T09:36:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T08:36:31","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.au-liegeur.com\/en\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Corker since 1887<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Our history<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Immerse yourself in the fascinating history of the cork oak and the Au Li\u00e9geur factory. Join the women and men who brought it to life and share our deep connection with the land, nature and time. <\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Our history<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The context in the 19th century<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Cork is a natural material obtained from harvesting the bark of a tree:<\/strong> the cork oak<\/a> (Quercus Suber). This tree has been a typical species of the Mediterranean basin (5) since the Tertiary period (60 million years ago). <\/p>

In France, this species is found in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, particularly in a small area of the Landes department called Marensin, where it has been exploited since ancient times: beehives, fishing nets, and especially for corks. (1)<\/p>

In the past, accounts report that corks<\/strong><\/strong> were made locally by hand, often using a simple knife. And so, in the sheds or attics of old farms, you can still find shepherds’ water bottles or clay containers sealed with handmade corks that are still watertight today! (4)<\/p>

However, in 1830<\/strong>, a particularly harsh winter caused the almost total destruction of cork oak trees<\/strong> in several cantons. In Marensin, local cork production collapsed. This decline was further exacerbated by Napoleon III’s law of 19 July 1857, which made maritime pine production compulsory for municipalities in the Landes forest. (7)<\/p>

However, a coincidence that only history could create occurred. That same date, 1830, also marked the beginning of the French colonial era<\/strong>. And with the colonisation of Morocco and Algeria, where cork oak trees are particularly abundant, the exploitation of this resource, far from disappearing, quickly grew exponentially, boosted by the industrial revolution<\/strong>. The emergence of factories and manufacturing plants marked the end of domestic production and family workshops. (2)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Our history<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Growth and the golden age<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The Pontneau family<\/strong>, based in Soustons, quickly became a major player<\/strong> in this new cork industry. Their cork oak forests in North Africa<\/strong> were organised to produce a high-quality annual harvest, which arrived en masse in mainland France by the boatload via the port of Bayonne<\/strong> (6). <\/p>

From there, the new railway line transports the cork directly to Soustons. Unloaded from the wagons, the cargo is stored in a yard and processed by the family’s factories, which are springing up like mushrooms in the local area. <\/p>

Founded in 1887 in Soustons<\/strong>, Au Li\u00e9geur quickly became an iconic manufacturer in the town. It employed a large workforce of almost a hundred people<\/strong>, and its market, naturally driven by its proximity to the Bordeaux vineyards<\/strong>, continued to grow. <\/p>

Thanks to its sales office in Paris, the company expanded throughout France and then into export markets<\/strong>.<\/p>

The interwar period and the 1930s<\/strong> marked the peak of prosperity for Au Li\u00e9geur.<\/p>

The factory fa\u00e7ade, with its beautiful Art Deco inscriptions, still bears witness to this golden age in the centre of Soustons.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Delve into 140 years of history<\/strong> with the old maps at Au Li\u00e9geur!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Our history<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Difficult times<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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But in the 1950s, plastic<\/strong> began to invade all areas of household consumption, and cork stoppers suffered directly from this new and colourful competition. Then decolonisation dealt a fatal blow to the industry. <\/p>

From the 1960s onwards<\/strong>, the material became more difficult to obtain. Spain and, above all, Portugal<\/strong>, which had always preserved their cork oak forests, began to establish themselves as market leaders. (3)<\/p>

For Au Li\u00e9geur, as for all his colleagues, a difficult period then began.<\/p>

When Denis Pontneau passed away, his wife Marie took over the management of the company. And while some, discouraged by the mounting difficulties, decided to close their doors, Au Li\u00e9geur decided to fight and resist<\/strong>. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Since the 1990s<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A new direction, a new impetus<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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In the early 1990s, under the leadership of Jean Landais, a former foreman, Au Li\u00e9geur fought for its survival, knowing that a change of model was needed. Henri Garcia, who took over the company, abandoned the volume strategy in favour of a differentiation strategy<\/strong>. <\/p>

In 2019, Denis Sabouret took up the torch and, under his leadership, Au Li\u00e9geur experienced a new lease of life.<\/p>

It focuses on innovation<\/strong> and has a new product range geared towards specialities<\/strong>, characterised by numerous patent applications<\/strong> and a rich portfolio of brands.<\/p>

Au Li\u00e9geur is now the last French company<\/strong> to manufacture corks locally from raw cork.<\/p>

Fully aware of the company’s historical heritage and regional roots, the management team relies on a close-knit, loyal and highly effective team to perpetuate its expertise and develop its markets.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Ressources<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Bibliography & references<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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(1) Le Ch\u00eane–<\/i>li\u00e8ge, sa culture et son exploitation<\/a>, by A. Lamey, original edition 1893<\/p>

(2) Le li\u00e8ge et les industries d\u00e9riv\u00e9es<\/a>, by Charles Lafargue, edition BT, 1948<\/p>

(3) Subericulture, by J. Viera, published by l\u2019Ecole Nationale des Eaux et For\u00eats, in 1956<\/p>

(4) Le Li\u00e8ge et l\u2019industrie du Li\u00e8ge by Ch. POUILLAUDE, published by la conf\u00e9d\u00e9ration nationale des syndicats du li\u00e8ge et des d\u00e9riv\u00e9s, in 1957 <\/p>

(5) Le Ch\u00eane li\u00e8ge et le li\u00e8ge dans les pays de la M\u00e9diterran\u00e9e Occidentale, by S.A. Yessad, published by Lavoisier, in 2000<\/p>

(6) Les industries de la Paille et du Li\u00e8ge dans les Landes, by S. PACAUD, published by Pyr\u00e9Monde, in 2012<\/p>

(7) La fili\u00e8re li\u00e8ge en Aquitaine<\/a>, by Mathieu-Jenssonnie.\nEdition For\u00eat M\u00e9diterran\u00e9enne, 2012 <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Key executives<\/span><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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1887 – 1920 : Mr PONTNEAU Genty
1920 – 1960 : Mr PONTNEAU Denis
1960 – 1980 : Mme PONTNEAU Marie
1980 – 1993 : Mr LANDAIS Jean
1993 – 2019 : Mr GARCIA-CUENCA Henri
Depuis 2019 : Mr. SABOURET Denis <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In the media<\/span><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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TF1, Journal de 13h, La renaissance du li\u00e8ge dans les Landes<\/em> (2022) – Watch the video on TF1.fr<\/a><\/p>

France 3, R\u00e9seau d’enqu\u00eates, Made in France, de la parole aux actes<\/em> (2021) – Watch the video on Youtube<\/a><\/p>

Sud Ouest, Pousser le bouchon landais un peu plus loin<\/em> (2011) – Read the article on SudOuest.fr<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Corker since 1887 Our history Immerse yourself in the fascinating history of the cork oak and the Au Li\u00e9geur factory. Join the women and men who brought it to life and share our deep connection with the land, nature and time. Our history The context in the 19th century Cork is a natural material obtained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3140","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.au-liegeur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.au-liegeur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.au-liegeur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.au-liegeur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.au-liegeur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.au-liegeur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3140\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.au-liegeur.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}