Lefevre-Utile

LU, originally known as Lefèvre-Utile, is a Breton brand of biscuits typical to the town of Nantes. The business was created in 1846 by Jean-Romain Lefèvre and his wife Isabelle Utile. It began as a home made cake shop which was set up rue Boileau, making biscuits « façon de Reims ». In 1882, the son, Louis Lefèvre-Utile, bought the company from his parents and decided to industrialise the manufacturing. He set up a factory on the embankments of the Loire river. In 1886, he created the famous 'Petit-Beurre', which became his trademark, and in 1887, he founded LU. In the thirties, his son Michel Lefèvre-Utile, set up a chain of exclusive salesmen. Louis Lefèvre-Utile and his successors also attached great importance to publicity, employing the best artists for the design of their posters and packaging, and also for the publicity campaigns. The logo LU came into force during the glorious thirties and was slightly adapted over the decades.