History of Obut - Obut official shop

Obut has been going strong for over 60 years

Everyone knows the French brand that makes this little steel "boule" weighing just a few hundred grams. Since 1955, it has been played on a number of courts, both in local tournaments and in major national and international competitions. But it is also the perfect choice for Sunday players, representing a spirit of sharing, friendship and good humour.

Genesis

Petanque is born
The first steel pétanque boule
Registration of the OBUT trademark
The Souvignet family invests

1907

1907 One day in La Ciotat, a Jeu Provençal player Jules Huges, alias "Lenoir", who could no longer manage the run-up to practise his favourite sport due to rheumatism, decided to draw a circle to stand in on the pitch With his "pés tanqués" (feet firmly planted on the ground, in the local dialect), he threw his jack 5 or 6 metres away. And so petanque was born. The petanque boule as we know it today originated in Loire, at Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, at the gateway to Auvergne.

It was at the beginning of the 1900s that metalworking began to prosper in this region. Small workshops appeared making guns, locks and hardware.

1929

In Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, a small town in Loire, Jean Blanc filed a patent for a steel petanque boule, made from two deep-drawn half spheres welded together.

Jean Blanc gave his initials to the JB factory he then set up.

Jean Souvignet

in 1937, Jean SOUVIGNET set up in Saint-Bonnet-le-Château to develop a business making steel tubes for bicycles and cars.

Georges et Robert Souvignet

To give the business an extra boost, his sons, Georges and Robert, joined their father's firm in 1950. They were true experts in metalworking and together they developed all kinds of equipment, ranging from rolling mills to telescopic forks to institutional and garden furniture.

1955

Still in Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, surfing on petanque's post-war wave of popularity, a lock maker named Frédéric Bayet and Antoine Dupuy, a talented mechanic and future technical director of Obut, joined forces and pooled their know-how to start manufacturing boules.

They registered the OBUT trademark.

1958

In order to take the company to the next level, the founders enlisted the help of the Souvignet family: Jean, the father and his two sons, Georges and Robert, bought out the small factory, which at the time went under the name "Société Nouvelle de boules à jouer". They remained partners with Antoine Dupuy, who had invented the machines to manufacture the boules.

A story of fathers and sons...

Pierre Souvignet, Robert's son, joins OBUT
Pierre Souvignet becomes CEO of OBUT
Romain Souvignet, Pierre's son, joins OBUT
Romain Souvignet appointed Managing Director
Romain Souvignet becomes Chairman of OBUT

Robert Souvignet, the grandfather

At a time when petanque was becoming one of French people's favourite leisure activities, with their experience of metalworking, the Souvignet brothers and their partner, Antoine Dupuy, launched into this new adventure. La Boule Obut became the reference, synonymous with quality.

Robert Souvignet was head of the firm from 1981 to 1994, and Antoine Dupuy was technical director. Pierre Souvignet, Robert's son, joined the company in 1978. He would become the managing director, in his turn, in 1995.

André Dupuy, Antoine's son, would be the technical director.

Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it

Henry Royce, often quoted by Robert Souvignet

Pierre Souvignet, the father

Pierre Souvignet, Robert's son, joined the company in 1978. He in turn became CEO in 1995.

There then followed a long period during which Pierre Souvignet and André Dupuy did everything they could to develop the quality and technicality of the products and establish the supremacy of the brand.

In 2003, Pierre Souvignet decided to restructure the family business and bought out the Dupuys. The Souvignet family were now the sole shareholders and owners of the OBUT brand.

Romain Souvignet, the son

In 2006, Romain, Pierre's son, also joined the firm.
In 2010, he was named managing director.

Since 2010, Pierre and Romain Souvignet have continued to work together to perpetuate the adventure of the famous petanque boule Made in France with many new projects.

Always with the same leitmotiv, innovation: whether in the production process, the design or services.

Romain Souvignet has been President of OBUT since 2022.

«Our permanent quest for quality products that perform better and better will see the arrival of new innovative, high tech facilities which will enable us to achieve the goal we cherish most, the satisfaction of our customers..»

Romain Souvignet

The Souvignet, a family saga ...

Pierre, Ginette et Romain Souvignet