History of the soap factory Marius Fabre

At that time, Salon de Provence was an extremely prosperous city, thanks to the commerce of oil, soap and coffee. The abundance of raw materials in Provence (olive oil in the Alpilles, soda and salt in the Camargue and oils (coco-nut and palm) coming in from the colonies via the port of Marseilles) had made possible the development of the soap-making industry. The arrival of the railway in 1873 greatly facilitated commerce.
Marius Fabre.

Marius sold his first soaps under the brand names of «The Book», «The Knife», «The Planet» or yet, «Concord», he also traded in olive oil.

In 1914, Marie Fabre called up at the beginning of the war, he left his wife, Marie, in charge of running the business. For four long years, with the help of an old Italian foreman, she carried on the production and sale of the soap.

In 1927, thanks to its success, the Marius Fabre company moved to its present premises, much larger and with space for the huge cauldrons necessary for saponification.

En 1938, Fernand Fabre, the eldest son of Marius, Fernand, took over the company from his father, which was was handed over in 1973, to Henri, the youngest of Marius' son. Those were difficult years, as competition from petroleum-based products was fierce for the Marseilles soap. Habits changed and with them customers.

From the 1950s onwards, the soap industry declined in the Marseilles area.
There were several reasons for this :
- the appearance of products for washing-machines ;
- the creation of new soap companies in other regions ;
- the development of supermarkets, which meant that consumers no longer stocked goods such as household soap.
Although many soap companies closed down, the Marius Fabre company managed to overcome difficulties.

In the 1960s, the purchase of a famous brand name "La Sainte Famille" (the Holy Family) from the Roux company in Marseilles, gave new life to the Marius Fabre company.

In 1987, Henri handed the company over to his daughter Marie-Hélène, who had been working with him for several years, and to his son-in-law, Robert Bousquet.

Together, Henri Fabre, Marie-Hélène and Robert Bousquet decided to maintain the tradition of one the oldest southern soap companies.

In 1900, barely 22, Marius Fabre founded his soap company in Salon de Provence.
He started up in the garden shed, where he set up two cauldrons and a few moulds.

Today, twenty three people work at the Marius Fabre company, which is represented in France and abroad by twenty sales representatives.

Participating alongside the Marius Fabre family, generations of local inhabitants have worked beside the factory cauldrons to contribute to the fame of Marseilles soap and the Marius Fabre company.