Andrée Jardin ⭐ Top pick

A grandmother's name turned anti-plastic manifesto. Four generations of Nantes brush-makers, from horsehair bought at slaughterhouses in 1947 to beech brushes sold at Merci in 2026. Living Heritage Company label.

In 1947, Georges-René Julio left Brosserie Pechon in Nantes when it closed. With his wife, Andrée Jardin, he moved to 167 rue des Hauts Pavés and started his business. The basic material: horsehair, purchased directly from nearby slaughterhouses, prepared by hand to make brushes of all kinds. And mattresses.

This artisanal beginning, a couple, a workshop, horsehair and hands, will give birth to three generations of brushmakers and two distinct brands. The first, Brosserie Julio, specializes in technical brushes for industry. Nantes was then a city of shipyards and biscuit factories (LU, in particular). Julio supplies industrial brushes: whiteners for shipyards, sweepers for the flour mill. Not glamorous, but essential.

In 1969, the SARL Julio et Fils employed four of Georges-René's children: Hélène, Henry, René and André. Horsehair preparation disappears, the company concentrates on industrial technical brushes. In 1984, André Julio took over alone. He is turning his back on mass distribution and mass production. Brosserie Julio becomes a specialist in tailor-made technical brushes: agriculture, aeronautics, food processing, metallurgy. Pure B2B.

The turning point came in 2009. Jean-Baptiste and François-Marie Julio, fourth generation, took over the family business. They have an idea: use the industrial know-how of brushmaking to create household objects. Not industrial brushes, but beautiful brushes. The kind of objects you put in a kitchen or bathroom and look at with pleasure.

In 2012, they created the Andrée Jardin brand, in homage to their grandmother, the wife of Georges-René who co-founded the workshop in 1947. The choice of the name is a gesture: to pay homage to the invisible founder, the one whose name did not appear anywhere in “Brosserie Julio”.

The Andrée Jardin range is an anti-plastic manifesto. Each product is designed to replace a disposable plastic equivalent: dish brush made of beech and agave fibers instead of Scotch-Brite plastic, brush made of pear wood instead of molded plastic, toilet brush made of oak instead of PVC. The materials are noble, beech, pear, oak, walnut, tampico fibers, horse hair, boar bristles, and all renewable.

The company is labeled EPV (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant), an official French label which distinguishes excellent artisanal know-how. Manufacturing remains in the Nantes region. The team is “on a human scale”, around fifteen people.

The positioning is smart: prices remain accessible (€8 to €40 for most products), which makes it possible to reach a wide audience without sacrificing quality. It is the French “little luxury”, a beautiful and well-made object which does not cost a fortune but which replaces an ugly and disposable object.

Andrée Jardin can be found at Merci (Paris), at Bon Marché, at Smallable, and in European and Japanese concept stores. The brand exports well, the artisanal and eco-responsible “made in France” is a powerful selling point in Japan and the United States.

The catalog goes beyond brushes: dustpans, buckets, dishcloths, garden accessories, wooden kitchen utensils. Everything in the same aesthetic, light wood, simple shapes, natural colors. The kind of objects Marie Kondo would recommend if she were French.