Leroux is chicoryChicory is LerouxLeroux is chicory
2023
Setting course for new products
A range of flavored chicories is developed. The aim is to make chicory known and loved by a wider public!
Our history, after all these years, still endures thanks to the passionate chicory workers who never stop developing to offer products of impeccable quality for chicory lovers… Because our love story is shared with you.
2022
2022 is the year of change!
A new identity, a new logo, a return to our roots demanded by consumers young and old. It’s time to dive back into our history while reinventing ourselves.
2018
More responsible consumption.
Chicorée Leroux is adapting, as usual, to its audience by releasing its organic range in 2018, to mark the brand’s 160th anniversary. As a result, consumers will finally find an organic offering in the chicory aisle.
1998
Chicorée Leroux is already taking action for the environment.
As the first European company to invest in a ferti-irrigation system, Chicorée Leroux was ahead of its time when it came to reprocessing its production water.
1963
The Marc and Dominique saga
Chicorée Leroux managed to break into television and broadcast its first commercials, which were watched by many French people. Some of the ads became popular culture references of the time, such as the Marc & Dominique twins ad, which ran on TV for a good 10 years.
1951-1954
Chicory, now, right away!
In 1951, Alain Leroux understood consumers’ need to enjoy their chicory almost instantaneously. As a result, and thanks to the company’s technological advances, it succeeded in creating soluble chicory. It delighted chicory consumers, who no longer had to wait for their hot or cold beverage. 3 years later, chicory made its way into breakfasts and culinary moments with the invention of liquid chicory, a pure chicory concentrate with a fuller, sweeter taste.
1950
Chicory, the drink of champions!
A fan of sport and cycling, Robert Leroux put together a team of cyclists including stars such as Jean Stablinski and Jacques Anquetil, with the aim of winning the Tour de France. From 1956 to 1962, the team won this prestigious competition three times. This event was followed by 40 years of sponsorship in various sports, including basketball with the Orchies team, and soccer with RC Lens.
1904
Thank you for your loyalty!
Alphonse-Henri-Eugène Leroux, newly arrived at the head of the company, decided to thank those who consumed chicory grains, and invented a loyalty system by adding gift stickers to be cut out on the packages and collected, giving access to a gift store.
1899
La bretonne: the effigy of Chicorée Leroux
The need for notoriety and representation led the brand to adopt “La Bretonne” as the effigy for the grain packet. This decision set Chicorée Leroux apart from its competitors and began to attract the attention of chicory consumers, who saw it as a more modern and distinguished product. La Bretonne appeared on grain packets for over 100 years, before gradually giving way to other representations in 2023.
1871
Nothing but chicory!
The factory suffers a fire and is forced to move to the center of Orchies, along a railway line. With this move, Alphonse-Henri-François Leroux decided to abandon tapioca, mustard and chocolate production, and devote himself solely to chicory production.
1858
Divine idyll
Leroux’s love affair with chicory began when Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Leroux bought the Herbo fils&Cie factory. Since 1840, the company had specialized in the production and marketing of tapioca, mustard and, of course, roasted chicory, the famous “Chicorée en Grains”.
Chicory replaces coffee and enters French households
Chicory replaces coffee in French households. Napoleon, in the midst of war, decides to set up a blockade to block imports of English products such as coffee. A baker decided to sell chicory as a substitute for coffee. A real success, chicory became the most widely consumed drink in France, making its way into every French household.
15th century
The Chicorium Intybus plant has 2 different uses:
food and medicinal uses. Like many other plants, wild chicory is a medicinal plant used by the pharmaceutical industry in the composition of traditional herbal medicines.
-2000
the first traces of chicory in history
The first known traces of chicory date back to Antiquity. The Greeks and Egyptians were the first to appreciate the plant and its benefits. At the time, they roasted chicory roots on flat stones.
