OCB, a Breton family story with worldwide success

OCB, a Breton family story with worldwide success OCB three letters known to everyone and essential in the field of cigarette rolling paper. The brand is now popular worldwide for the fineness of its rolling paper and the quality of all its products, such as cigarette tubes, filters, or even its smoking accessories like cigarette tube filling machines or rolling machines. Smokers have been fans of this brand, which was born in France in 1918, for generations.

But why does this brand of rolling papers and smoking accessories bear these 3 letters: OCB ?

Here is the OCB story

It all began in 1822 in Odet, a locality of Ergué-Gabéric, in Finistère on the banks of a river of the same name that passes through Quimper, where Nicolas Le Marié created a paper mill with the help of his in-laws, René Corentin Bolloré and his elder brother Jean Guillaume Claude Bolloré. It was there that the two brothers launched the first and long-running series of Bolloré "papermakers" that would endure for 6 generations.

In 1861, Nicolas Le Marié who had married Sister Bolloré cedes the company's queens to Jean René Marie Bolloré, her nephew by marriage, who will keep the management of the paper mill until his death in 1881. A doctor of medicine and chief surgeon in the navy, J.R.M Bolloré makes numerous trips throughout his career, in the seas of China and in Brazil. According to certain rumors, it would be from these countries that he brought back the secrets of fine paper manufacturing, which he would use to make the "first" cigarette paper.

In 1893, René Guillaume Marie Bolloré, who succeeded his father in 1881, decided to rent the Cascadec mill, located in the commune of Scaër, to set up a second paper mill there. He would remain at the head of the paper mill until his death in 1904. It is his son, René Bolloré, who would run the paper mill until 1935.

After 24 years of renting, the Bolloré group decided to buy the establishment in 1917. The production of letter paper, cotton, and muslin became secondary productions in the face of the scale of demand for cigarette paper in France and the United States where cigarettes are starting to become a strong habit.

It is this intensive production of ultra-thin rolling paper that gives Jean Guillaume Claude Bolloré the idea in 1918 to create their own brand of cigarette paper: OCB is born!
In the 1930s, the two Bolloré factories are operating at full capacity and produce nearly 2000 tons of paper in rolls, or nearly 86 million booklets of rolling paper.It should be noted that 90% of the production is exported to the USA.

René Guillaume Bolloré, son of René Bolloré, took over the management of the family paper mills after his father's departure in 1935 and until 1974. He was one of the Free French, a Knight of the Legion of Honour, having joined General de Gaulle in London during the Second World War.

During the occupation

The Bolloré factories are practically shut down. Only one factory was operating at 20% of its capacity. American export has become impossible, and it is in 1938, that a factory is created in North Carolina, with the help of engineers from Bolloré, to meet American needs.

The post-war period

Michel Bolloré, brother of René Guillaume, also enters the family business. He starts with a position as commercial director and then as managing director.
A little later he will attain the title of co-leader in collaboration with two of his brothers: René Guillaume, who succeeded their father, and Gwenaël, vice president then co-leader until 1981.

In the 1980s

It is Vincent Bolloré, direct descendant of Jean Guillaume Claude Bolloré (creator of the brand), who takes over the management of the company and decides to create Bolloré Technologies.

He turns the family business into a prestigious group with international renown, notably through the acquisition of a competitor, the company JOB of Perpignan, where he transfers the entirety of paper rolling production. Thanks to his investments, he provides cigarette paper and OCB with solid industrial means for the future.

In 2000

Vincent Bolloré sells 81% of the company to one of his best American clients: Don Levin, who renames the company Republic Technologies. The manufacturing of the notebooks still takes place in Perpignan and has developed significantly.

July 2000, OCB, which now offers other smoking accessories, establishes itself worldwide and becomes an essential brand throughout Europe.
2006, Vincent Bolloré sells his remaining share of the company to Don Levin, who becomes its full owner.

Since 2006, OCB has continuously evolved and offers products that are increasingly innovative, in line with current trends and with excellent value for money. OCB has, among other things, launched BIO rolling papers and BIO hemp filters on the market, as well as OCB Slim Virgin, which offers you ultra-thin, unbleached rolling paper.

You can find on our website Smoking.fr, a wide range of OCB products such as the regular rolling paper, the slim rolling paper, filters, cigarette tubes, rolling machines, and manual or electric tube fillers.

Indeed, you will not see on our website certain sizes of rolling papers like the 69 x 36 mm called "small regular" or the 109 x 40 mm called "slim fit". OCB reserves them for other countries where The demand is higher because statistics have revealed that we, dear French people, were fans of REGULAR and SLIM sizes!

Questions / Answers

Here are some questions that you regularly ask us regarding the OCB rolling paper brand.

Is OCB paper still French?
Smoking. The paper is still manufactured in Perpignan, however the company who owns OCB is based in the United States under the name Republic Technologies.

How can one obtain OCB Green rolling papers or OCB Orange rolling papers?
Smoking. Unfortunately, OCB Green rolling papers and OCB Orange rolling papers are not sold in France, a choice by the brand taking into account French preferences.On the other hand, they are available in certain countries.

Do you offer the OCB VAP electronic cigarette?
Smoking. No, OCB e-liquids and the new OCB VAP electronic cigarette are only offered in tobacco shops. Indeed, the brand has chosen to favor its well-established network of partner tobacconists. On this subject, we have written an article on our blog about the OCB e-cigarette.