EPV, a government label that rewards the excellence of our know-how.

Since October 2020, Four Grand-Mère has been a member of the exclusive club of French companies with the EPV (The living heritage company) label. A genuine mark of recognition from the French government, this label crowns the excellence of our workers’ skills, as well as our constant efforts to innovate.

Living heritage companies, at the crossroads of tradition and innovation

The EPV label, created in 2006, is a state label reserved for companies that hold “rare, advanced or traditional know-how”. This distinction, which depends on the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, has been managed since 2019 by the “National art and crafts Institute”, INMA.

To obtain this label, which is valid for a period of 5 years, companies have to follow a very demanding selection process and prove that they meet a number of eligibility criteria, including:

Ownership of specific economic assets

(tools, machines, patents, models, etc.)

Attachment to a region or settlement

Attachment to a local area or establishment in historic premises with high architectural value, etc.

EPV

EPV: the mark of French excellence

Contrary to popular belief, living heritage companies do not operate solely in the craft sector. The EPV label also rewards highly technical industrial production. Today, 1,450 companies embody French-style excellence in 8 market sectors:

Industrial, medical and mechanical equipment.s
Culture and communication
Gastronomy
Architecture and built heritage.
Tableware
Fashion and beauty.
Furniture and decoration.
Leisure and transport./li>

These exceptional ambassadors include such prestigious names as Chaumet jewellery, Hermès saddlery and Lalique crystal etc. We also have the pleasure of working with EPV-labelled companies such as De Buyer Industries, a manufacturer of culinary accessories in the Vosges, and Terres Cuites d’Occitanie.

All these companies make a significant contribution to France’s economic and human heritage, accounting for 63,000 jobs and a total turnover of €14 billion!

Looking to the future, in France and abroad

Backed by this wide range of expertise, Grand-Mère ovens are now enjoying an excellent reputation among private individuals and professionals, both in France and abroad. As France’s leading exporter of wood-fired ovens, Four Grand-Mère already markets its products in 50 countries, and this figure is set to rise further thanks to the visibility and export support offered by the EPV label.

Our company is also continuing its efforts in terms of innovation, with, for example, the launch of the Nestor oven at the turn of 2023. After Alfred, a turnkey oven with very contemporary lines launched in 2018, its big brother Nestor is this time aimed at professionals.

A fine reward for the quality of our craft skills

As confirmed by several experts at the end of the selection procedure, Four Grand-Mère meets all the conditions required to qualify for this precious label. The company has been making traditional wood-fired ovens in Jeanménil, in the Vosges, since 1981. We use mainly French materials such as bricks, fireclay and various insulating materials, all produced in France.
To offer you wood-fired ovens that are easy to assemble and reassemble, our bricklayers use a technique that is unique in the world: pre-assembly of the bricks that form the vault, according to our own specific layout. To do this, we have traditional brickworks make pieces in different formats, with very specific cuts. In this way, the assembly of the vault of our ovens is both efficient and regular, even for a novice.

In addition to this exclusive bricklaying method, our masons and metalworkers also master a number of highly technical skills, including: