Interview
DAMMANN Frères :
a sensory experience …
Tell us how DAMMANN FRÈRES was born
The history
of DAMMANN stretches over three centuries: an exceptional and rare longevity
that began in 1692 under the reign of King Louis XIV. It is from the beginning
a history of trade. Louis XIV needed money to finance wars and to return money
to the coffers of the State,so he granted to those who could pay, the right to
trade.
Thus,
Mr.Damame, of Dutch origin, traveled to Paris in order to acquire by Royal order the right to import
tea and other rare and exotic products, such as cocoa, spices and sorbets .
We have
found the existence of the Royal Edict with the mention of Sieur Damame in the french National Archives.
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| Tea Time with DAMMANN Frères |
Did the story become international very quickly ?
Absolutely!
Even if archives are not numerous, we know the company has remained active
since its beginnings. We know with greater accuracy that at the beginning of
the 19th Century, the company through its heirs, Pierre and Robert, developed the international trade of tea,
spices and a novelty, vanilla from Madagascar. In 1825, they founded the first trading
counter in Java, followed by another one in Indochina. A century later, brothers
Pierre & Robert Dammann brothers opened a vanilla trading office in
Madagascar followed by a tea counter in New York.
Throughout
these years, the core business of the company was to work directly with larger
fine food and epicurean markets large grocery stores: B to B. In 1926, Dammann
became the official supplier of the transatlantic lines, so on all the ships of
the CGT (CompagnieGénéraleTransatlantique), DAMMANN FRÉRES tea was served,
celebrating a certain “art”of living from the Belle Epoque to the Roaring
Twenties. This enhanced the beautiful brand image for the house!
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| M. & Mrs Dammann, founder |
In 1954, in the absence of heir, it wasJean
Jumeau-Lafond (father of the then current president), passionate about tea,who took
the lead of the company . His goal was
to democratize this product still confined to consumption habits of the elite and haute bourgeoise. It should not
be forgotten that historically, coffee is more consumed in France than in the
United Kingdom, where the colonial empire favored the habit of consuming tea.
As a true traveling ambassador for his product, he
traveled through France to promote tea in the fine food emporiums of each provincial
town, gradually propelling it from the restricted department of herbalism and
pharmacies. He found success with these traders initiating the sale of tea in bulk
alongside other fine products such as spirits, pates and other delicacies.
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| Asian heritage of best teas |
How did the idea of unique universe DAMMANN BROTHERS emerge?
As a
result of this commercial development, the idea was born that tea could attract
the usual and loyal consumers, via the sale of different blend sold in bulk,
and the first tea stores were created! But as with any success, a touch of innovation
and a twist are needed to make the difference. Jean Jumeau-Lafond met his wife
in Hamburg. She came from the Russian bourgeoisie and used Earl Grey tea but
in order to soften the flavor , used a slice of orange in her cup!
In these times, oranges were
still a rare commodity, not available in all seasons. He
imagined mixing black tea with essential oils of bergamot and sweet orange.
After a few tests, the result was perfect, and the first modern fragrant tea
was born. As a tribute to his wife, he named his creation Russian Douchka.
Commercial success came very
quickly, thanks to one of his friends, the manager of a department store,
where this new fragrant tea was very quickly popular, and in constant demand by
the public.
It remains since that time one of the best
sellers of the house.
As often, success arrives thanks to one idea, but one had to be visionary and have faith in innovation to develop this creation.
Soon after the creation of the
first of the fragrant teas, more followed.
The use of perfumed tea with
flowers is an ancestral tradition: jasmine, rose, and magnolia tea, but the mix
of aroma involves more sophisticated research.
For example, the "Jardin
Bleu" tea, a black tea that has been developed with aromas of rhubarb,
strawberry and wild strawberry, to obtain a fruity, slightly acidic flavor, was only created after extensive trial
and error.
Scented tea will become a primordial know-how, the
signature of the house. Under the leadership of an aromatician, new mixes are developed each year. Very
early, too, the house is interested in herbal teas and more generally all the
plants to infuse. Today, they are products that have a keen interest among
consumers, mixes multiply to satisfy the very contemporary trend of "I
take care of myself", "I make myself happy".
In the 1970s
Jacques and Didier Jumeau-Lafond are the tea suppliers of reference for high
gastronomy. The great chefs such as Paul Bocuse or the Troisgros brothers, who
develop delicatessen ranges destined for international markets, as well as
major brands such as Fauchon, Hédiard in Paris, and Fortnum & Mason and
Harrod's in London . Damman Frères has had the privilege of providing them and
accompanying them in their development.
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| the best selection of TEAS |
How was born the famous Crystal tea bag ?
It was during a trip to Japan, in 1980, that Didier Jumeau-Lafond
discovered a new material: A nylon veil coming from new technologies, flexible
and transparent developed first for coffee
for Japanese consumers. It was taken over by DAMMANN FRÈRES for the
creation of a new type of tea bag. Its total neutrality in taste and
transparency are the advantages that allow this new bag to show the quality of
the leaves used and to restore to the infusion the authentic taste of
conditioned teas.
This Cristal® tea bag which is also a registered
trademark, is always made from the same material nowadays imported from JAPAN.
This innovation which our competitors doubted, they adopted it very quickly !
Today 120 million bags are sold every year, but
DAMMANN FRÉRES remains in the category of "big craftsmen" and not
"industrial". We wish to preserve the excellence of our manufacturing
processes, to control the whole chain and to maintain the quality grade that
our customers come to seek from us.
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| crystal bag a DAMMANN innovation |
How do customers discover the breadth of your product range?
We propose more than 350 teas and mixes to infuse, so
it seemed important to put them in a playful way, to make our customers want to
discover them. To offer them this unique olfactory experience, we have created
in our store in the Place des Vosges, as in each of our shops, a piece of
furniture specially designed to welcome different teas to discover and to
smell. This is our "tea organ"! It allows places Vosges the discovery
of 120 varieties of teas. The olfactory discovery is part of the buying
experience, it is playful the customer is having fun.
We were also among the first to offer tea as a gift,
with our boxes, a showcase that offers different fragrances, and which
functions as a "teaser", customers often wish after this sampling to
know more about Dammann Brothers, to discover more and to make it known in
their turn, like true initiates!
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| DAMMANN PLACE DES VOSGES |
Where do your teas come from?
We have three experts who are constantly traveling
around the world to select and buy the best productions.
We import our teas from China, India, Africa, Sri
Lanka. Indeed, China and India are the world's top two producers.
You should know that the tea comes from a single
botanical plant, the Camellia sinensis.
It is its manufacture, the way in which the leaves are
worked, that varies. As with the vine, the terroir, the altitude where it is
grown are factors that contribute to mark some differences.
There is an infinite variety of teas: from green teas
to black, white, green or dark teas ... The processing operations that the
leaves must undergo differentiate them. The shaping of the leaves also varies
according to the regions of production, they can be worked in needles, twists,
beads ...
What is the trend concerning tea consumption?
Tea is the most drunk beverage after water!
The consumption of tea has taken root even in places where it is not grown. It has become a universal drink, from the time of the caravans (in the East and Middle East) to our contemporary societies which appropriated it in new forms: flavored iced teas, for example, we have in our teams an aromatician!
In some
countries where tea is culturally anchored in rites (China among others), some
customers are looking for "grand cru" aspiring to premium qualities.
The global
market demand is increasingly strong worldwide, which results in a slight
increase in tariffs.
Why and how did you come to PLACE DES VOSGES?
Dammann
Frères settled Place des Vosges for
about ten years, looking for a flagship shop, which could allow to establish
his image as a 100% French tea maker, (our factory is located in Dreux )
Combining a unique history of three hundred
years with a very high quality requirement!
This exceptional site of the Place des Vosges
lined with private mansions dating from the seventeenth century, with majestic
architecture and charming arcades was a dream place, chance has done the rest
....
The French
ceilings: original painted beams, and the interior design of the shop generated
a lot of meeting with the architects of the Bâtiments de France.This was the price to pay for settling serenely in this privileged setting of the Marais, André Malraux was
careful to safeguard and protect in the 1960s, thanks to the precise
establishment of a perimeter of which the Place des Vosges is of course part
Do you have other addresses in Paris ?
Yes : 6 adresses à PARIS : 24 avenue Victoria
,75001, 101 bis rue Mouffetard
75005, 12, avenue Franklin
Roosevelt 75008, 6, place des Petits
Pères 75002 , Bercy Village Chai 39 cours
Saint-Emilion 75012 et à BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT 72, boulevard Jean
Jaurès 92100
We have opened stores in 66 countries, and we have a
web site.
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| best teas from JAPAN |
What are your new challenges and what are your new perspectives for development?
We intend to offer new tasting experiences in some of our boutiques..Innoovation means maintaining quality criteria, we have
forged a privileged relationship with certain plantations with which we have
been working for 35 years.
Innovation also involves the
development of some new products that are constantly tested, such as the
"Lemon Caviar Rose" or "Rooibos" perfumed tea: exclusively
harvested in South Africa with a relatively new tea, also known as red tea,
or The "Carcadet" prepared from the hibiscus flower imported from
West Africa or from Egypt. It delivers a ruby red infusion very acidulated,
without theine which pleases many children.
Actually, thanks to our tea-blender,
and our aromatician, we have two real authors of teas. He and she compose
according to their know-how sometimes so-called classical mixes, such as
breakfast teas, sometimes fragrant compositions blending harmoniously the
natural notes of the teas used to those, fruity, flowery and gourmet and
flavors chosen for a New perfume tea.
Among the latest
creations the Altitude Mix, the perfect
classic to accompany the day, Macaron Cassis-violette and Soupir d'Orient
blends with green tea, or Oolong Caramel with salted butter and poppy deliciously gourmet compositions ... .
To find or sell your home in le MARAIS contact me +(33) 6 60 69 77 67
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