Hédiard, Ferdinand

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HÉDIARD, FERDINAND

HÉDIARD, FERDINAND. Born in Loupe, a village near Chartres, Hédiard (1832–1898) became interested in the world of imported foods at a young age when he discovered at the port of Le Havre all kinds of cargo from Martinique, Haiti, Guadeloupe, and the Lesser Antilles, all part of the colonial French empire at the time. Fired with the mission of introducing the French to the food wonders he had experienced as a young boy, he opened his first store at the age of twenty-three, in 1850. In 1854, he opened a larger store, which he called "Comptoir d'épices et des Colonies," (trading post selling the products of the colonies), in effect, the first French grocery store. He imported island commodities such as rum, cacao, coffee, bananas, and other tropical fruits and made them all available to a public—including the painter Eugène Delacroix, who lived in the neighborhood—that had never experienced such a taste of the exotic.

As the French empire expanded, Hédiard's business grew. He made a big splash exhibiting the pride of his importations at the 1867 Paris World's Fair, and in 1880 he opened another store in Paris, much more fully realized than the first, at 21 place de la Madeleine, where the flagship store still stands. In 1889, he penned a book of recipes (still in print) to show off the best use of his exotic products. Over its long history, the store has drawn the notice of the rich and famous, such as the writers Alexandre Dumas, Colette, and Jean Cocteau; performing artists such as Jean Gabin, Marlene Dietrich, and Charlie Chaplin; and a loyal following of princes, maharajas, and politicians.

Upon his death, he left the business to his daughter Marie-Blanche and her husband, Max Kusel, who operated it for a time, after which a series of owners have continued the operation in expanded but somewhat changed form.

In 1920, the store's pastry chefs developed a special line of marzipan candies. In 1935, what became the store's signature gold-foil-wrapped packages were developed. The store was modernized in 1950. In 1969, to handle the growing demand worldwide for the Hédiard line, a facility near Nîmes in the Gard Valley opened for the artisanal production of jams, conserves, fruit pastes, glacéed fruits, and other products. Expansion to five additional city locations throughout Paris and three locations in the suburbs followed in the 1970s. To commemorate the 150-year anniversary, a restaurant was opened at the place de la Madeleine location. Since 2001, an Hédiard website is bringing the world to Hédiard—not bad for a company founded by a man who never left French soil.

See also Candy and Confections; Chef; France; Retailing of Food .