Chacom

Chacom Storefront, courtesy Doug Valitchka

Courtesy Blaik-Pipes

Courtesy Yuriy Novikov

Chacom is a brand of Chapuis-Comoy & Cie.

Creator and distributor pipes and guarantor of the traditional methods of manufacturing, Chacom remains today the largest French brand capable of combining tradition, Creation & Innovation. The Chacom pipes are sold in over 40 countries.

History

1825	Well before the discovery of briarwood the COMOY family manufactured pipes in the small village of Avignon, near to Saint-Claude, mostly in boxwood for the "Grumblers" of the Army of Napoleon.
1850	Birth of Henry COMOY, founder of the brand.
1856	Discovery of briarwood and particularly the special treatment it required for the making of pipes. Saint-Claude becomes the birthplace of briar pipe manufactures and the world capital of pipe-making.
1870	Henri COMOY, prisoner of war in Switzerland meets his cousins the Chapuis and ruminates the idea of an association.
1879	Henry COMOY emigrates to London with some of his technicians from Saint-Claude and establishes the first English pipe factory in England H. COMOY & C° LTD. The Saint-Claude factory supplies them with briarwood and pipe bowls.
1922	After the First World War the association COMOY and CHAPUIS is realised and the Saint-Claude factory becomes CHAPUIS COMOY & Cie.
1924	Death of Henri COMOY. His sons Paul and Adrien assume the direction of the factories in Saint-Claude and London assisted by their cousins Emile and Louis Chapuis.
1928	London now able to produce their own pipes, and in order to develop the Saint-Claude factory, the brand CHACOM is created, using the first three letters of the COMOY and CHAPUIS families. Up till 1939 CHACOM was offered only in France, Belgium and Switzerland in order not to embarrass the COMOY pipes which had the same shapes and qualities.
1932	The world economic crisis reaches Saint-Claude. To weather this problem Chapuis Comoy & Cie joins with another company under the name of LA BRUYERE, forming the biggest pipe concern in the world with 450 workpeople. Big trucks were needed to transfer the briar blocks from the drying shed to the factory.
1945	After the Second World War CHACOM assumes its entire commercial liberty and launches a complete and modern range of pipes.
1946	Chacom becomes the principal brand in France and Belgium.
1947 – 1948	CHACOM, number one in Scandinavia, Germany, then United States…
1957	In face of the commercial preponderance of the brand CHACOM the company La Bruyère returns to the name of CHAPUIS COMOY & Cie.
1964	Death of Adrien COMOY. His son Pierre succeeds to him in London. Mr REED is the Chairman and Managing Director in Saint-Claude.
1965	First French brand named pipe in JAPAN
1971	Having recovered its independence from COMOYS of London, Yves GRENARD, second cousin of Pierre COMOY, takes over the Direction of Chapuis Comoy & Cie and at the same time the exclusive sale of H. COMOY & Ltd, in France.
1978	Pierre MOREL, independent free-hand pipe maker, creates for Chacom a line completely hand made the Chacom Grand Cru. He is the creator of the free-hand shapes Naja and "Fleur de Bruyère".
1987	Pierre MOREL joins the team Chapuis-Comoy as full-time.
1994	Chapuis-Comoy integrates ROPP company.
1996	First design pipe : Chacom Volute, realised in collaboration with Claude ROBIN
1997	First French pipe to be exported to Russia and East countries
1998	Chacom Volute n° 2 is launched
1999	The Pipe Trade Association signed a contract with the authorities for developing pipe industries. One of the action is the co-operation with designers who create the new PASTEL Collection and specially the HEDO and CYCLADE for Chacom.
2001	Yves GRENARD designed for Chacom the MILLENIUM, a new line for one thousand years as a new shape will be designed each year.
2002	Introduction of Chacom in China
2003	Another design line by Erwin VAN HANDENHOVEN with black or nacre insert.

Gallery

• Examples and details, courtesy Doug Valitchka
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  Chacom Dynastie

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  Chacom Dynastie nomenclature

• More examples
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Catalog

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  Chacom catalog

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  1979 Catalog page featuring Chacom offerings, courtesy Doug Valitchka

• PDF: Chacom catalog

Contact Information

An excellent selection of Estate pipes is available at The Danish Pipe Shop (A Pipedia Underwriter)

An excellent selection of Chacom pipes is available at Pipedia Underwriter, lepipe.it

Chapuis-Comoy & Cie Sarl
4 Rue des Etapes, B.P. 82
39203 Saint-Claude Cedex
France

Phone: +33 (0)3 84 45 00 00
Fax: +33 (0)3 84 45 20 34
E-mail: chacom@free.fr
Website: Chacom

Direction: Antoine Grenard
commercial service, SAV: Sophie Pierolo
Administration, accounting Delphine Bonavero
Production: Yves Perrad