Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Roux seed plant, located at 34 Bel Air Street in Carpentras, was founded in 1907. It is installed in a mill built in 1911 by Pierre Nicolas, bought in 1913 by Albert Simon, trading in seeds. The latter established an industrial activity there under the name of Maison Albert Simon called Le Moulin. In 1917, Aimé Roux, Albert Simon's son-in-law, inherited the site and officially created the Aimé Roux Seeding in 1919, specializing in the decortication, conditioning and trading of seeds (rice, rapeseed, sunflower, psyllium).

The building, built of limestone and hollow bricks, underwent several expansions: a first floor was built in the early 1920s, and the eastern part was raised in 1928. During World War II, the plant was requisitioned to treat rice and broken peas. In 1949, the Aimé Roux Establishments were officially created, and André Roux, the founder's son, modernized the laboratory in 1951, obtaining approval for seed propagation. The activity, initially focused on the local market, extends nationwide thanks to the proximity of the Carpentras railway station.

The factory, which operated until the early 2000s, changed its name several times: Factory Bel-Air in the 1980s, then Fra Décorticage in the late 1990s under the direction of Maurice Fra. It then treats cereals, oilseeds and protein crops for organic food (Ecocert network). The site, which was listed at the Historic Monuments in 2005, still houses 38 protected machines, including germinators, cellular sorters and decorticators. Today owned by the municipality, it is partially rehabilitated by the association Labelvers, which has installed there a self-repair workshop for bicycles and an associative café.

Roux seeding is a rare example of industrial seeding in France, with only two other sites listed (in Carignan and Blois). Its functional architecture, organized on three levels (ground floor for heavy machinery, 1st floor for stocking, full for the laboratory), reflects the gradual adaptation to 20th century agricultural standards. The machines, often manufactured by local artisans or specialized firms (such as the Société industrielle de matériel électromagnetic d'Aubervilliers), bear witness to the technical innovation of the time.

The decline in activity in the 1990s coincides with the evolution of seed regulations, marked by decrees such as that of 1981 requiring distinct, stable and homogeneous varieties. Seeding, which had been approved for seed propagation in the 1950s, cannot keep up with the growing demands of the market. Today, the building, although disused industrially, remains a place of memory and transmission, opened on an ad hoc basis during Heritage Days or via local circuits.

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