La Rochère

Five Hundred and Fifty Years of French Glass

In 1475, a gentleman glassmaker named Simon de Thysac obtained permission to manufacture glass in the forests of Haute-Saône, where the silica, potash, wood, lime and water needed for the craft were all present in abundance. The glassworks he founded has been operating ever since — through wars, revolutions, economic crises and the complete transformation of European manufacturing — making La Rochère not just France's oldest glassworks, but the oldest continuously operating glass factory in Europe. Today over 250 craftspeople work on site, producing more than 1,000 models. The master glassblowers — whose training takes a decade — still shape molten glass by hand using techniques passed down through five and a half centuries. In 2014 the French state awarded La Rochère the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label, its highest recognition of living industrial and artisan excellence.

Glass that earns its place on a table

The collections range from the iconic Bee Collection and the Versailles series to tableware, barware, decorative pieces and architectural glass — all carrying the character that only genuine craft and genuine age can produce. These are not objects made to impress on a shelf. They are made to be used, daily, for decades. Find La Rochère in our home decor collection and our European brands edit at Sostter.

Visit the Glassworks

The La Rochère glassworks has been open to visitors since 1969. Watch master glassblowers at work, follow the full process from molten glass to finished piece, and explore the museum tracing five centuries of craft in a beautiful 17th-century wooden hall. A Japanese garden — designed for the glassworks' 500th anniversary — borders the buildings. Over 70,000 visitors come each year. Entry to the workshops is free. The factory shop carries the full range. Find them at 4 Rue de la Verrerie, 70210 Passavant-la-Rochère, France. Discover more independent boutiques through the Sostter European boutiques directory.