Genod
Genod Pipe is the name of the pipes made by Jacques Craen and his staff. Jacques started to make pipes in his Grandfather's factory at the age of 15 years and eventually took over the reins of the company in 1970. Genod Pipes produces many pipes per year from some of the finest aged briar available. Only 500 pipes of the entire years production are termed Unique Pieces, and Smokers' Haven is able to offer some of these exquisite pieces.
The Genod workshop goes back to the year 1865, when Comoy founded this factory in the heart of Saint-Claude. He united the workshop with David soon afterwards. In 1923 the house Comoy-David is taken over by Georges Vincent who continued the production in the style of Comoy-David. From 1939 Vincent worked together with his son in law John Craen, who became responsible for the technical development in the factory.
In 1959 Jacques Craen entered the scene and as third generation he soon was recognised as a many-sided pipemaker and manufacturer. From the year 1970 onwards Jacky Craen was director of the Société Vincent-Genod and in the same year he introduced the brandname Genod. When Jacky Craen took over the business in 1977 several changes and innovations took place. Craen opened a pipeshop in the centre of Saint-Claude, on the Place de l'Abbaye and also started guided visits to his workshop.
The shop in the centre of the villages functions as advertisement for his pipe brand, but also for the visits to the factory. In this charming and historic workshop time seems not to have ran through and an interesting show round through the factory learns visitors a lot about the techniques of pipemaking and the functioning of a pipe factory in general.
In 2006 the young pipemaker Sebastien Beaud started his work in Jacky's factory. As Craen himself he took over the brand Viou to start with. Sebastien is now the owner and head pipe maker in the factory.
