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Having escaped from the horrors of the french revolution in 1789, Rose BUFFET married Jean Jacques HEROUARD on 09/06/1800 at La Couture Boussey. Their son, Jacques François HEROUARD, luthier,instrument manufacturer, emigrated to Ezy sur Eure. The La Couture Boussey area, in addition to the village, also comprised the villages of Ezy sur Eure; Ivry La Bataille and Garennes was considered as the French birthplace of wind instruments.
Their grandson, Alfred HEROUARD, luthier,was born on 09/02/1866, and developed the manufacture of clarinet ligatures. He died young, leaving his wife to bring up their two sons. As a female company director, quite unique for the time, she managed the company.
Her elder son Pierre HEROUARD, born in 1901, an aviation enthusiast, soon left the Farman company and set up the "HEROUARD FERES" company following by the HEROUARD PIERRE" company. This ingenious enterprise ans improved the manufacture of not only clarinet ligatures, but also those of saxophones. He designed a "cover" (to protect the fragile reed positioned in the mouthpiece) which was subsequently to be called the "cap". Their customers, manufacturers of instruments or mouthpieces were in the surrounding villages, in thecapital, ans after the 2nd World War, in the United States ans Japon.
claudine HEROUARD, his daughter, married Marcel BENARD in 1946. With the support of his wife, he turned the company into SARL HEROUARD & BENARD. The companywas modernised end prospered.
After the death of her father in 1988, Michelle BENARD, their daughter, left the legal profession, in order to ensure the continuity of the business and develop the international market.
Later, her son, Robin CHEVRETEAU, a science graduate, took over the reins of the company. In 2007, he purchased the pad production business of the MARTIN-CHANU company(a subsidiary of BUFFET) and set up the RC TAMPONS MUSIQUE company . In 2009, HEROUARD & BENARD purchased the business side of the "LEBAYLE" brand for the production of straps,harnesses, Bee bops, mouthpiece cushions, etc...
Today weare the only surviving company at the birthplace of the French woodwind instruments industry, still in the hands of the founding family.
The family's current vocation is not only to maintain and develop the company, but also to promote musical events in this region with its long musical tradition (local communities havefair-sized orchestras), ans the family is behind the inception of the Ezy sur Eure Jazz Festival ans encourages the formation of children's orchestras.
HEROUARD & BENARD and RC TAMPONS MUSIQUE are located on the same site at Ezy sur Eure, in order to provide you with a wide range of FRENCH manufactured accessories.