India and Scourtinerie

Ferdinand Fert, then a weaver in Nyons, goes on a journey to the southwest of India, to Kerala, to visit the territories then occupied by France. There, he discovers a most diverse local craftsmanship: cotton sheets, objects made from banana fiber…
However, a local material used by the population living on the Malabar coast catches his attention: coconut fiber. Spun, this rustic fiber abundant on the Indian coasts becomes a strong and durable material with no need for any chemical treatment during its manufacturing process. Water-resistant thanks to the tannins naturally present in its fiber, the coconut rope was already used by English sailors at the time.

Back in France

Ferdinand Fert designs and patents a machine to mechanically weave the scourtins. He was the first to use coconut fiber as a replacement for alfa to design his new generation scourtins. Resistant to the unprecedented pressure of the new hydraulic presses that were becoming widespread at the time in oil mills in addition to being usable over multiple seasons, success was in store for the Fert family.
With a close relationship with its suppliers, over the years the family refined its orders and selected a superior quality of coconut rope better suited to its products.

 

In 1979

It’s more than a century later that his grandson Alain Fert decides to integrate a store into the scourtin factory and incorporates local products as well as Indian artisanship, brought back during the different trips he makes each year to his raw material supplier in India. Much more than a simple commercial relationship: the Fert family has now maintained a great friendship with the family of its suppliers and various Keralan associations and organizations for over 140 years.