The Story of Maison Fossier
Founded in 1756, Maison Fossier, the oldest biscuit factory in France, is a 100% familyrun company and is situated in Reims, in the Champagne region. It is the heir of a long
line of makers of delicacies for which Reims has become well-known and has managed to
conserve and develop the creative mastery of its biscuit recipes. It has become an
inescapable stop-over point for gourmets. A traditional biscuit-maker, fashioned by 2 ½
centuries of history, Fossier blends the good tastes of past times with the flavours of
today to delight all gourmets.
The birth of the Biscuit Rose de Reims (Pink biscuit of
Reims)…
Around 1690, the bakers of the Champagne region of France created a recipe intended to
make use of the heat of bread ovens after baking, to cook, and cook a second time, a
sweet delicacy : the “BIS-cuit” (meaning cooked twice) was born.
The biscuit was originally white. The bakers wanted to
flavour the dough with vanilla. To do this, they crushed
vanilla pods with sugar in a pestle and mortar. The
resulting small, almost black, vanilla particles, when
mixed with the stunningly white dough, stained the
finished biscuit. They decided to mask this pigmentation
with a natural red colouring, carmin.
This is how the delightful Biscuit
Rose de Reims came into
existence! Its recipe remains
unchanged since then, as well as
the method of production, which
conserves the double-cooking
originally used.
The Story of Maison Fossier
The birth of Fossier and Royal recognition…
In 1756, under the reign of king Louis XV, in an era glorifying lifestyle and good taste, a small
artisanal biscuit-maker appeared in Reims. In 1775, its biscuits were presented at the
coronation of Louis XVI at Reims cathedral, and the biscuit-maker became supplier to the king.
In 1825, it received the royal diploma with the seal of
Charles X recognising the quality of its biscuits. The
gourmets of the kingdom rapidly heard of the
exceptional quality of its specialities and had Biscuits
Roses de Reims (Pink Biscuits of Reims) and
Gingerbread of Reims delivered by courrier.
The royal diploma
with the seal of
Charles X
In 1845, a certain Mr Fossier, a baker in his own right, took over the succession of this biscuit
factory created in 1756, the “Mother company of the Biscuits of Reims” and its delicacies.
For more than 3 centuries, the biscuit factory was prosperous and well implanted in Reims.
During the “Roaring Twenties”, the fashion of the Biscuits Roses de Reims (Pink Biscuits of
Reims) grew, and elegant ladies adored tasting them with an excellent Champagne.
The biscuit factory even managed to maintain its activities during the wars in 1914-1918 and
1939-1945, in adapting its production to the needs of the times.
In the 1950’s, 15 biscuit factories specialised in making the Biscuits Roses de Reims,
Gingerbreads and other specialities, still existed in Reims. Today, Fossier is the only one left
to perpetuate this heritage.
On the back of a
publicity photo
dating from the end
of the 18th century,
Maison Fossier of
Reims indicates the
list of its specialities.
A gingerbread label
from the early 1900’s
Literary associations…
The croquignole biscuit was already mentioned in the novel
« Pantagruel » of François Rabelais in 1532
The delicacy of cakes and biscuits doesn’t escape Victor Hugo. In
1825, from Reims, where he stayed on the occasion of the
coronation of Charles X, he wrote a letter to his wife to recommend
to her “the good biscuits of Reims which will make your milk
sweeter”.
Marcel Proust wrote in Le Coté de Guermantes (1927) that “the
spirit of Guermantes had a reputation like the rillettes of Tours
or the Biscuits of Reims”.
Artistic associations …
Paul CEZANNE (1839-1906)
Pommes et biscuits (1879-1882)
(Still life with apples and biscuits)
100 franc bank note (1997-2001)
Art deco posters featuring Fossier:
Culinary associations…
Today, Fossiers products are
associated with celebrations and are
used in many elaborate recipes:
In 2016,
Fossier celebrates its
260th anniversary.
Tradition, quality and innovation will continue !
Thank you for your attention.
www.fossier.fr
Biscuits Fossier, 20 rue Maurice Prévoteau, CS 40033, 51721 REIMS CEDEX, France
EPV (French
living heritage)
label