Nearly a thousand slabs measuring 32 centimeters on each side and 12 centimeters thick. Before being able to enter Notre-Dame de Paris, visitors can already discover the cathedral square, refurbished by a family SME, SETP. Based in Burgundy, it operates the Comblanchien quarry (Côte d’Or), between Nuits St Georges and Gevrey Chambertin, on the grand cru route.
With an area of one thousand square meters, the space known as the small square had been very damaged by debris from the fire and then by the installation of cranes and the passage of machinery for the work.
A stone discovered by the monks of Citeaux
The Burgundian company won the call for tenders launched by the city of Paris and will continue the project with the planned redevelopment of the rest of the square, i.e. 3,000 m2, from next year. “ A material was needed that was sufficiently resistant and Comblanchien is the only stone that matches the light beige color of the cathedral. There is no equivalent within a 1,000 kilometer radius. », assures Jean-Roch Deswarte, the president of SETP, which he founded with his sister in 1995, after the buyout of the small company then operating the quarry.
Often referred to as “ Burgundy marble », the stone was discovered by the monks of Citeaux Abbey in the Middle Ages. It is found on certain bridges in Paris, such as the Tolbiac bridge, but also in the base of Haussmann buildings. Just before completing the first part of the Notre-Dame square, the Burgundian company had notably redone the stairs of the Grand Palais and the ramp of the Garnier opera house. Comblanchien now benefits from the label “ geographical indication ”, which also contributes to its success.
A clear material that reflects light
Because the market is growing strongly. “There is an increasing demand from municipalities who want to reduce the use of concrete and pedestrianize their centers. For this, the Comblanchien ticks all the boxes. It is a clear material that reflects light and limits heat in cities. After wood, it also has the best carbon footprint », assures Alban Praquin, the general director of STEP.
The company receives around 2,500 orders per year, a third of which come from individuals and the rest from communities. It now employs nearly 200 people and should achieve a turnover of around 28 million euros this year.
STEP has worked, for example, in Béziers, Dijon, Montpellier, and even Poitiers. She also designed the Larvotto promenade in Monaco, but also head offices, such as that of Danone in Paris. “ We also export to Benelux and Germany, but this only represents 5% of our sales. We don’t want to go any further, because it wouldn’t make environmental sense to transport our stones halfway around the world. », adds Alban Praquin.
Three centuries of reserves
The company extracts 22,000 m3 of stone each year, but is not afraid of running out. It has a concession contract on the few hundred hectares of the Comblanchien quarries which ends in 2043. “ There are at least three more centuries of deposits », underlines Jean-Roch Deswarte. The boss of STEP, who recruits around fifteen people per year, also explains that the lack of manpower is not his primary concern. “ We are in professions that make sense and mechanization has considerably reduced the arduousness “, he says.
SETP has invested around 4.5 million euros per year in equipment over the last five years. A new envelope of 12 million euros is planned by 2026 for the expansion of the processing center, where the stones are cut, which will then become the largest in France, assure its managers.
The company plans to develop other quarries in the region, in order to expand its range. The one it owns in Buxy (Saône-et-Loire), for example, was used to pave the De Gaulle memorial in Colombey.
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