In 1864, Victor Grosjean began operating a corroierie. A few years later, his son Auguste Grosjean had a mill built to grind wood bark, which was used as tannin for leather, on the site of the current tannery. To power the mill, Auguste used the water power of the Couard stream, which runs through the area formerly known as Pré de la Scie. He quickly developed an integrated tanning process using river work, tanning barrels and pits inside. Specialising in smoothed leather, particularly for the army in 1914/19, the tannery expanded… Here’s an image of an advertisement from the time, preserved in our archives.

To celebrate its anniversary together, we will occasionally open a page in the history of this place.