Bosc

In the Gascon language, Bosc means Forest. Bosc is located in Hagetmau on the edge of the largest forest in Western Europe, Les Landes.

Until the mid-19th century, the county of Les Landes was a huge marshy plain. The inhabitants of the Landes region, mostly shepherds, used to cross them on stilts. In 1857, the Land Reclamation act, instigated by Napoleon III, led to the mass planting of pine trees in order to drain the land and prevent erosion. Nowadays, these trees cover more than a million hectares and are used for both their resin and wood. Although Pine is the most prominent tree species found in the Landes forest, several other trees can also be found, including some species of oak. Today, the Landes forest is the largest cultivated forest in Europe.

It is in Hagetmau fief of the chair industry where, after two generations, the Bastiat family engaged in the manufacture of seats. The business was founded on 1st April 1964 by Marcelle and Joseph Bastiat. They had met each other and learnt their trade in the Capdevielle factory. One was in the carpentry workshop, and the other in finishing. Their children, Alain and Michel grew up surrounded by wood shavings, the smell of wood, tools, textiles and varnish.

Recently Alain, who manages the business with his wife, Geneviève, wanted to create a new brand. This carries the symbolic name of BOSC and is based on the experience and know-how in cabinet-making and upholstery for household chairs.Created by designers Jean Louis Iratzoki and Samuel Accoceberry, eleven collections of sofas and armchairs are made by the expert hands of Bastiat workers.

Bosc is an artisan of manufacturing. It considers this as a whole and has in his team the know-how necessary to master all the stages. In 2018 the company was awarded "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" by the French government.

Installed in Hagetmau since its creation, the manufacturing has remained artisanal: 14 people ensure the production, divided between the carpentry workshop (semi-industrialised), the finishing workshop and the tapestry. Hand work is essential: sawing, machining, assembly, varnish, patina, sewing, lining..., these are all the gestures that make the know-how of the Bastiat company. This, combined with expertise in the choice of wood and fabrics, ensures the quality and longevity of the products.

The main wood used by Bosc is oak from local forests, as well as from Sologne and northern France. Bosc also works with beech wood from the Landes and the Vosges region and walnut wood from Canada. The company is particularly sensitive to sustainable development, supporting responsible exploitation of forests. The same applies for the choice of natural materials, all selected with the greatest care and respect for the environment.