Emile-Justin Menier
Encyclopedia
Émile-Justin Menier French
pharmaceutical
manufacturer, chocolatier
, and politician, was born in Paris. In 1853, on the death of his father, Antoine
, Émile-Justin Menier inherited a large and successful Parisian company that manufactured a range of medicinal powders.
His father's company also manufactured chocolate
as part of his business and Émile-Justin Menier would eventually devote himself to the making of chocolate. His Menier Chocolate
company purchased cocoa-growing estates in Nicaragua
and sugar beet
fields in France, erected a processing mill
, and equipped itself in other ways for the production of chocolate on a large scale. In 1864 he sold his interest in the drug-manufacturing business, and thenceforth confined himself to chocolate, building up an immense trade. He built a factory in London
, England
in 1870 and the next year he hired architect Jules Saulnier
to design a new chocolate factory to replace their existing facility in Noisiel
.
Émile-Justin Menier was also a keen politician, serving as mayor of Noisiel from 1871-1881. Members of the family would be the commune's mayor until 1959. From 1876 until his death he had a seat in the French National Assembly
, his general views being strongly Republican
, while he consistently opposed protectionist trade policies. Menier was the author of several works on fiscal and economic questions, notably L'impôt sur le capital (1872), La Réforme fiscale (1872), Economie rurale (1875), L'Avenir économique (1875-1878), Atlas de la production de la richesse (1878) and, published in the English language
by G. P. Putnam's Sons
, New York City
in 1878, France And The United States: Their Present Commercial Relations Considered With Reference to a Treaty of Reciprocity http://books.google.ca/books?id=FLMpAAAAYAAJ&dq=%C3%89mile-Justin+Menier&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=Gn1ams9N_F&sig=rISUGxSfrXL8NSFPFZmD-Vf-2n8&hl=en&ei=9nqiStObJJWHnQfupvjHBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5#v=onepage&q=&f=false (downloadable)
Émile-Justin Menier was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1878. He died at Noisiel-sur-Marne in 1881 and was interred in the Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. His sons Henri
and Gaston succeeded him in the business. Members of the Menier family
would run the chocolate company until 1959.
In 1898, a statue of Émile-Justin Menier was erected in the town square in Noisiel.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
pharmaceutical
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
manufacturer, chocolatier
Chocolatier
A chocolatier is someone who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients.Professional chocolatiers study topics including the following:...
, and politician, was born in Paris. In 1853, on the death of his father, Antoine
Antoine Brutus Menier
Jean-Antoine Brutus Menier was a French entrepreneur and founder of the Menier family of chocolatiers. Born in Germain-de-Bourgeuil, Indre-et-Loire, he was the third child in a family of merchants. In 1811 Antoine Brutus Menier was enrolled in the La Flèche Military Academy where he studied the...
, Émile-Justin Menier inherited a large and successful Parisian company that manufactured a range of medicinal powders.
His father's company also manufactured chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
as part of his business and Émile-Justin Menier would eventually devote himself to the making of chocolate. His Menier Chocolate
Menier Chocolate
The Menier Chocolate company was a chocolate manufacturing business founded in 1816 as a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Paris, France at a time when chocolate was used as a medicinal product and was only one part of the overall business....
company purchased cocoa-growing estates in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
fields in France, erected a processing mill
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
, and equipped itself in other ways for the production of chocolate on a large scale. In 1864 he sold his interest in the drug-manufacturing business, and thenceforth confined himself to chocolate, building up an immense trade. He built a factory in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1870 and the next year he hired architect Jules Saulnier
Jules Saulnier
Jules Saulnier was a French architect. He is best remembered for his work on the Menier Chocolate Co. buildings in Noisiel, France. Many historians cite his 1872 building as the first true skeleton structure, having its exterior walls requiring only simple infill...
to design a new chocolate factory to replace their existing facility in Noisiel
Noisiel
Noisiel is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Paris from the center....
.
Émile-Justin Menier was also a keen politician, serving as mayor of Noisiel from 1871-1881. Members of the family would be the commune's mayor until 1959. From 1876 until his death he had a seat in the French National Assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
, his general views being strongly Republican
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
, while he consistently opposed protectionist trade policies. Menier was the author of several works on fiscal and economic questions, notably L'impôt sur le capital (1872), La Réforme fiscale (1872), Economie rurale (1875), L'Avenir économique (1875-1878), Atlas de la production de la richesse (1878) and, published in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1878, France And The United States: Their Present Commercial Relations Considered With Reference to a Treaty of Reciprocity http://books.google.ca/books?id=FLMpAAAAYAAJ&dq=%C3%89mile-Justin+Menier&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=Gn1ams9N_F&sig=rISUGxSfrXL8NSFPFZmD-Vf-2n8&hl=en&ei=9nqiStObJJWHnQfupvjHBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5#v=onepage&q=&f=false (downloadable)
Émile-Justin Menier was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1878. He died at Noisiel-sur-Marne in 1881 and was interred in the Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. His sons Henri
Henri Menier
Henri Emile Anatole Menier was a French businessman and adventurer and a member of the Menier family of chocolatiers. Born in Paris, he was the son of Emile-Justin Menier and grandson to Antoine Brutus Menier who founded the Menier Chocolate company...
and Gaston succeeded him in the business. Members of the Menier family
Menier family
The Menier family of Noisiel, France, was a prominent family of chocolatiers who began as pharmaceutical manufacturers in Paris in 1816. They would build a highly successful enterprise, expanding to London, England, and New York City, New York, USA. The Menier Chocolate Co. remained in the family...
would run the chocolate company until 1959.
In 1898, a statue of Émile-Justin Menier was erected in the town square in Noisiel.
See also
- Menier familyMenier familyThe Menier family of Noisiel, France, was a prominent family of chocolatiers who began as pharmaceutical manufacturers in Paris in 1816. They would build a highly successful enterprise, expanding to London, England, and New York City, New York, USA. The Menier Chocolate Co. remained in the family...