The industrial past

In Savoie, the exploitation of mineral resources dates back to Protohistory with the extraction of copper and iron, and then developed in ancient times thanks to silver lead. Mining boomed in the Middle Ages and between the 17th and 19th centuries, boosted by the geological diversity of the Alpine massifs. These mines contributed to the local economic dynamism. From the end of the 19th century onwards, mining in Savoie gradually declined, in the face of competition from larger, more profitable deposits discovered abroad, as well as technical advances in ore processing. However, hydroelectric installations were expanding and developing new industries. Today, chemical companies have also set up shop, and transport, particularly rail transport, is expanding and playing a key role in the Maurienne economy.

The Maurienne valley is famous for its white coal industry. This refers to the hydroelectric energy produced by waterfalls. It is the opposite of black coal, which refers to coal. It was paper manufacturer Aristide Bergès who, in 1869, equipped a 200m waterfall near Grenoble to turn defibers. Electricity was soon generated. Later, Paul Héroult was the first to extract alumina from bauxite to make aluminium by electrolysis. In 1900, he perfected a steel furnace to enable industrial-scale production of this metal.

In the Maurienne, the white coal industry was made possible by the hydrographic network installed on the Arc. It attracted many pioneers from 1890 onwards. The First World War led to a massive expansion of factories to meet the demand for armaments. With a growing need for labour, refugees of all nationalities migrated to work in the 1920s. The valleys were transformed into industrial centres. The use of hydroelectric power and the growth of activities required a reliable transport network.

After the Second World War, with the nationalisation of electricity and against a backdrop of globalisation, the white coal industry in the Maurienne lost some of its power. Today, the valley has retained some of its industries.

In addition to the large factories and quarries, other industries were developing. This was the case with the Opinel brand, whose history began in the hamlet of Gévoudaz, and La Pasta pasta in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.

The history of Opinel

In 1872, Joseph Opinel was born in Gévoudaz, a small hamlet in Albiez-le-Vieux. It was a harsh place to live at the time, but situated on the banks of a river, it was the perfect place to set up a workshop. It was here that Victor-Amédée, his ancestor, set up his blacksmith business in 1800. Now at the head of a family workshop, his grandson went on to become a renowned blacksmith. As you may have guessed, it was he, Joseph Opinel, who created the famous folding knife. He was also interested in the new techniques of his time, which fascinated him. He combined his father’s learning with modernity to create the famous pocket knife. An ergonomic wooden handle, a tapered blade that could be folded into the handle: a practical object with an advanced design. The opinel was born. He chose as his emblem a crowned hand, the three fingers a reference to the history of the town of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and the legend of the relics of Saint John the Baptist, and the crown a reference to the Duchy of Savoy.

Sales accelerated and by 1901 there was a shortage of space. The family workshop then became a factory, built on the Gévoudaz bridge, by the side of the road. Opinel moved to Cognin in 1915, also on a riverside site near Chambéry. Joseph Opinel left his native valley, but not Savoie. Today, the factory is located in Chambéry, just a stone’s throw from the Cognin factory. It still promotes Made in France.

La Pasta

The Maurienne was the birthplace of Savoie’s first pasta factory in 1884. The Bozon Verduraz family came from Saint-Colomban-des-Villards and settled in Saint-Etienne-de-Cuines in 1884. The father, Jean Pierre, and then his son, Emmanuel, built a gigantic factory that produced pasta using the power of hydroelectricity to power the machines. The factory produced 125 tonnes of pasta a day, with over 700 workers making coquillettes, vermicelli, noodles, spaghetti and plombs (round pasta). The plant has an international reputation.

Since 2005, the plant has been producing Savoy specialities in the pure tradition begun in 1884. This family-run business is committed to the choice of raw materials, and the flours are carefully selected before being transformed into crozets, sapins, edelweiss, gentianes, tortillons, finettes…

“Our pasta tells the story of our region and our land.