Please put on your helmet and strap on your safety belt because we will travel back in time today! Today I will cover two companies with more in common than you might think: Chacom and Comoy.

The story is long, but I will try to keep it short.

The Comoy Family was well-established in 1825; Francois Comoy and his brothers were making pipes in a small village near Saint-Claude. As usual, boxwood and Beach wood were the materials of choice for their pipes. Their main customers were the “Grumblers” of Napoleon’s army.

In the 1850s, Henry Comoy was born. Six years later, briarwood was discovered, and Saint-Claude became the birthplace of briar pipes and the world capital of pipe making.

In the 1870s, Henry was a prisoner in Switzerland and met his cousin from the Chapuis family. They developed the idea of an association. 1879 marks the year when Henry emigrated to London and founded COMOY & C° LTD, a new pipe factory supplied by Saint-Claude factory. 

At the beginning of the 20th century, the business grew exponentially, and more factories were built in Clerkenwell and Rosebury Avenue.

Let’s fast-forward to the 1920s. 1921 saw the establishment of the House Of Comoy and the appointment of USA sales director to Sam Zinberg.

Two years later, Henri died, and his sons Paul and Adrien took control of the company with the help of Emilie and Louis Chapuis in London.

 

In 1928 Chacom (first three letters of the COMOY and CHAPUIS) were created for the Saint Claude factory. The plan was to establish the french division with its brand. Since the London and French divisions were producing the same product, Chacom was sold only in France, Belgium, and Switzerland to avoid overlapping in the international market.

The economic crisis came in 1932, and Chapuis Comoy & Cie joined another company under the name of LA BRUYERE to have a chance to survive the difficult time approaching. That led to the forming of the biggest pipe concern in the world. After the Second World War, Chacom assumed its entire commercial liberty and launched a complete and modern range of pipes.

In 1950, Chacom was the leading brand in many European countries and the United States. 7 years later, La Bruyere returned to CHAPUIS COMOY & Cie.

In the 1980s, Cadogan Investments acquired Comoy, but the company maintained its high-quality standards and designs. 

Fast-forwarding to 2007, Antoine Grenard took the reins at Chapuis-Comoy and designed several new models for the Chacom brand.

In 2016 a new chapter began; the company left Faubourg Marcel after more than a century to Villard Saint Sauver and built a new factory and a museum. The new location mixed traditional and contemporary, showing the history of an iconic industry and its future-oriented nature.

To this day, Chapuis Comoy produces pipes for many companies, but Chacom is the company’s pride and joy. Only the best tobacco pipes carry the Chacom seal. The range incorporates traditional and modern french pipe shapes.  If you are looking for a London-made pipe, a Comoy is the right one for you. Traditional style, superior briar at an affordable price!

 

If you are not sure if you have a Chacom or a Comoy check the logo on the stem:

One C is for Comoy and two Cs is for Chacom 🙂

Head over to our Chacom and Comoy collection and pick your new favorite!

While you are there, check the pipe tobacco from Comoy and Chacom, No 2 is my favorite. I’m always in the mood for a nice fruity-vanilla blend.

 

Till next time!

Christian – The Pipe Expert

 

In 1968 MPB was changed to “Brebbia”. In the same year, a slow smoking competition was held in Varese, and Enea took advantage of it. He created a team from his employees and toured Europe, bringing home multiple wins. Soon Brebbia pipes were popular in the international market, not only for their quality and designs but for their “sweet smoke.”The combination of Varese’s environment and extreme humidity levels allowed Enea to naturally cure the briar and reduce the tannin levels within the briar. By doing so, the bitter taste that a new pipe has during the first smoke was gone.

The 1970s were difficult years for the pipe business. The public slowly drifted away from the slow smoking culture, and the few that remained became more demanding than ever. Innovation, diversification, and imagination became more than ever the keys words for success and survival in the ever-diminishing tobacco pipe business. A notable invention was born in the late 70s, the frangifumo (smoke breaker) mouthpiece. Instead of one single opening, it had multidirectional channels, allowing the smoke to be less concentrated in one spot and reducing the famous tongue bite.

In 1977, one of Enea’s children, Luciano Buzzi, joined the family business ranks. As his fathers once did, he started traveling abroad to revamp the brand. Once he mastered the craft, Luciano became an active member of the creative team and created his first line in 1979 called 79. The German market (as we know prefers long-stemmed pipes) was looking for a filtration system. A 6mm filter was fitted into the pipes, but it was not enough. A new challenge was presented to Luciano, to fit a 9mm filter but keep the slim silhouette of a churchwarden pipe. Four years later, the 83 line came to life. Now all Brebbia pipes come with a 9mm filter slot, but an adapter is available for those who dislike filters.

In the following decades, multiple lines of pipes have been created, such as “Great designers of pipes” designed by influential pipe makers, the freehand line “linea A”, and many more. In 1992, Enea refurbished a large warehouse in Bosco Grande and created a pipe museum, where models from various producers and his own are displayed.

To this day, the Brebbia company stands for innovation and reimagination, always looking for new ways to improve tobacco pipes by bringing new techniques and trend-setting designs to the market. If you are looking for a new favorite, have a look at our Brebbia selection, and I’m sure you will soon fall in love with them.

With a Brebbia in my hand, I send you my regards.

Till my next post!

Chris

Ready for a trip to Italy? I hope so because today I’m going to talk to you about Brebbia Pipes.

Let me introduce you to our main character: Enea Buzzi, founder of the Brebbia Pipes Company. He had in his family many entrepreneurs: his uncle Bernardo, who made a fortune in London, his grandfather, who built a small power plant in Brebbia; and his father, Carlo Andrea, who founded a weaving mill in Gavirate.

Enea was in Varese’s train station and was smoking a Rossi pipe, and it started to pour. He wondered how he could smoke while under the rain, and that’s how the pipe with a lid idea was born. The Rossi family developed this concept and started producing their take. After different business attempts, Enea was still not happy, and he decided to focus on his passion and produce tobacco pipes. Money was short, which meant expensive machines and a location for his company were not easy to achieve.

That’s where Uncle Bernardo came to play in this story. “Papa” Bernardo, as his family called him, backed up his nephew’s dream. He didn’t bring to the table only the money but also a meaningful family connection: his niece, who was married to Achille Savinelli. The Savinelli family was also looking into opening their tobacco pipes production, but that’s for another time.

In 1947 Enea and Achille founded a tobacco pipe company, but the partnership didn’t last long. The business couple didn’t share the same vision for the company. Enea went to London to establish his name in the international market, and Achille founded his factory in Molina di Barrasso.

From 1947 Enea made pipes using the Savinelli logo, but after 1953 he started using his own trademark MPB (Manifattura Pipe Brebbia). The following year, a fire destroyed the Brebbia factory, which allowed him to build a bigger one. Enea also bought a foundry to develop an aluminum base for his pipes, but the market didn’t respond well to that.

In 1956 the bumpy partnership ended between Enea and Achille, and a new prosperous era started for MPB Pipes. Innovation, diversification, and imagination were the keywords.

Christian