The cork factory

La Bouchonnerie, a memory of local Pierrefeu know-how!

In the 19th century, the cork and stopper manufacturing industry experienced a real boom in the Var region. In Pierrefeu-du-Var, several cork factories were established at the beginning of the century and reached their peak around 1860, making this activity a major sector of the local economy.

The largest factory, located in the Barri district, was moved at the beginning of the 20th century to what is now Avenue des Poilus. Activity there grew considerably: nearly a hundred employees worked there and produced between 60 and 80 million bottle caps each year.

But the history of the cork factory is also marked by tragic events. In 1950, a violent fire ravaged the buildings and industrial facilities, destroying nearly three-quarters of the site as well as the entire stock of cork, estimated at 4 million tons.

To these difficulties was added, gradually, foreign competition. From the end of the 19th century, Iberian production developed and, in the 1940s and 1950s, French cork manufacturers faced increasingly strong international competition.

The cork factory in Pierrefeu-du-Var finally ceased operations in 1971, bringing to an end more than a century of local industrial history.
Today, the old cork factory testifies to the importance that the cork industry represented in the economic and social history of Pierrefeu-du-Var.

Having become a place dedicated to culture, it regularly hosts exhibitions and cultural events within the Espace Bouchonnerie – Salle André Malraux.
At the entrance to Espace Bouchonnerie is also the Maison des Arts et Traditions Provençales, which houses the association Leï Roucas dou Barri. This association perpetuates the tradition of Marseilles quilting, more commonly known as boutis, a traditional Provençal textile craft.
Throughout the year, the association helps to keep this artisanal heritage alive and showcased. In particular, it organizes the annual Boutis Encounters, an event that brings together enthusiasts, creators and visitors around this traditional art, in the heart of the Bouchonnerie Space.