Published
Video length: 4 min
Work: cutlery and jewelry, family business
Work: cutlery and jewelry, family business
(France 2)
He has many family businesses in France. A family business is therefore not just an accounting statement, there are also links, an affect, which sometimes build, over the centuries, exceptional sagas.
A brother and a sister, a mother and her son, two businesses passed down from generation to generation for over 400 years. In Thiers, in Puy-de-Dôme, the kings of knives are the Tarrerias, Éric and Carole, who inherited the company 30 years ago. The Tarrerias are, in fact, “master cutlers since 1580 for the oldest”, explained Eric. The first siblings to lead, they had to learn to work together. “It’s not always easy but it’s extremely reinforcing”, said Carole. Around them, there are more than 100 employees.
Place Vendôme, in the heart of the jewelry district in Paris, has been home to the Mellerios since 1613. They were the jewelers of Versailles. The centuries-old story could have ended in 2018 when Laurent Mellerio died suddenly. The son, Côme, was too young to take over the business. It is therefore up to his wife to carry out the difficult task of bridging the gap between the generations.
