Article about a special pipe brand

19 March 2014

An English journalist once wrote "Ropp is champion" when he described the successful French pipe factory called Ropp. Founded in Bussang in the French Vosges, this company developed from a local pipe workshop into a real factory for serial production. Initially, pipes were made in cherry wood (Weichsel), later also in briar. In his recently written article, Don Duco follows the history of this remarkable firm. How this company grew from simple fruit wood pipes to an immense tobacco pipe manufactory with a  wider assortment. They quickly became a major competitor to brands in the pipe city of Saint-Claude. Eventually, under pressure of the general downturn in the pipe industry, the company moved to Saint-Claude where it was later incorporated into an existing pipe factory. The famous Ropp brand gradually died a silent death, although the fame of this factory still lives on.

News archive