Par
Thomas Martin
Published on Oct 20, 2024 at 11:32 a.m.
A sleeping beauty just waiting to wake up. The history of confectionery Boissier House created in Paris in 1827 was on the verge of disappearing completely when, in 2000, Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet, the founders of the Salon du chocolat, took over the venerable institution and thus saved the mythical candy ballan integral part of our gourmet heritage.
Victor Hugo as illustrious client
At the beginning of the 19th century, Bélisaire Boissier left his province to conquer Paris and he did not yet know that he would become the confectioner of well-made heads, elegant, well-born ladies and the finest palates of his time. Nor that his name will still shine, in letters of gold, almost 200 years later. At the time, at Gare de Lyon, a train was parked full of chestnuts whose load was spoiling. He had the idea of candiing it in order to stop the decomposition process, inventing chestnut icing, a new technique that he applied to other confectionery products.
In the first counter, located on what was then the epicenter of Parisian social life, the Boulevard des Capucines, we sold candied chestnuts and fruity candy balls. The confectioneries were so successful that, very quickly, Bélisaire Boissier opened branches on the most beautiful Parisian streets: Boulevard de Courcelles, avenue Raymond Poincaré, Rue Auber, Place de l’Opéra, Avenue Victor Hugo then even Avenue des Champs -Elysées.
The success is phenomenal. In 1840, pastilles were very fashionable; We then like them flavored first with cherry then with mint, rose or even jasmine. Then come those with exotic fruits, such as pineapple. As it was fashionable at the time to always have candy with you, Boissier sweets became “the candy of theaters and the Opera”. The bankers of the Stock Exchange district will even be called by some “the eternal lozenge suckers”.
Victor Hugo himself is an aficionado. Like a 19th century influencer, he wrote his few verses: “Thanks to Boissier, dear doves, happy at your feet, we fall. Because we take the strong with bombs, and the weak with candy. » Later, Alexandre Dumas and Emile Zola will also refer to it.
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Cyrille Robineau, a young visionary entrepreneur who succeeded Bélisaire Boissier in 1857, gave new impetus to the house by developing new products
but also by taking care of the packaging and decoration of its stores. He will imagine real jewel cases and enlist the services of the greatest luxury craftsmen of the time.
Soon a third store in Paris
A lot of work was done by Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet to put the company back on track and give it a taste of the golden age again, when the Parisian confectioner embodied elegance and luxury for everyone. French.
Today, Boissier confectioneries are still artisanal and natural and preserve the authentic flavors of their ingredients. Over time, the recipes have been revisited in order to diversify the range and offer unusual and innovative confectionery, suitable for fans as well as a new generation. The boxes and packaging, which have largely contributed to the reputation of the house, have been reissued from the house’s archives (a collection of around 3,000 objects).
Maison Boissier also offers candied chestnuts in a variety of vintages (Ardèche, Piedmont, Naples, Cognac, Chocolate, Vanilla, Williams Pear and Rum), the famous Bonbons Boules (Cherry, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Blueberry, Rose, Violet and Poppy), Froufrous, Celestial Pearls, chocolate petals…
Boissier has two stores in Paris, rue du Bac (7th arrondissement) and Passy (16th), and soon a third in the capital. Its various products are also sold in the capital at Galeries Lafayette as well as at the Drugstore on the Champs-Elysées. Airports are also targeted.
Sylvie Douce can measure the progress made: “When we took over Boissier, there was nothing left, only a decaying shop.” Today, the company has a turnover of 2 million euros generated in France but also abroad, thanks in particular to distributors in Japan and Korea. A presence far from France which should increase.
In the boutique on rue du Bac, where the history of each product is recalled, Sylvie Douce shares her convictions about the future of confectionery: “I really believe in its great comeback. In an increasingly virtual world like the one we live in, confectionery is reassuring with its regressive side.”
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