LA MAISON CHASSEUR
Chasseur’s history is rooted in the very heart of the Ardennes, during the belle époque.
Or, more precisely, in 1924 when the Invicta foundry was established in the Meuse Valley, a major centre for metallurgy. Founded by Fernand Sueur, the company would go on to remain a family business for nearly 90 years. The production sites have been located in Donchery and Vivier-au-court since the very beginning.
The foundry began by producing sinks and sanitary fittings.
Throughout the twentieth century, new product families began to emerge:
cast-iron furniture, tables, parasol bases, trivets, fireplaces and fireplace inserts, barbecues, wood stoves and casseroles,
first under the Invicta brand, and then under the Chasseur brand.
The enamel factory can be found a few kilometres away from the foundry, in Donchery.
Chasseur casseroles are still painted by hand to this day.
Today, Chasseur casseroles are exported around the world, and have become a symbol of the influence of French gastronomy.
Chasseur cast-iron casseroles and cast-iron cookware are manufactured according to a very old process, which consists of two main phases: the casting of the cast-iron item, followed by enamelling, which gives the products their beautiful solid or shaded colours. At Chasseur, this phase is still completed by hand to this day, in the traditional way.
During enamelling, the raw product from the foundry passes through a blast chamber in order to prepare it for enamelling. The inner and outer surfaces are then enamelled in 2 or 3 layers, depending on the colour, and are then vitrified by being fired at a temperature of approximately 800°C.