A success story
worldwide!The industrial activity of making combs has been documented in Pays d’Olmes, mainly in Laroque d’Olmes and the Hers valley, since the Middle Ages with the manufacture of combs made from boxwood, an abundant resource on the banks of the Hers. The products were exported as far as the Netherlands, Germany, Algeria, Italy and Belgium, via fairs run by Toulouse merchants.
From the 18th and 19th centuries onwards, some 40 companies set up along the Hers, using hydraulic power to run their machines.
The outlets for horn combs were then national and international. The reputation of French products for toilet accessories facilitated the export of this production.


