Like many other rolling paper brands, OCB has a long story behind it. The name is an acronym representing the most important elements of the company’s past, present and future.
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OCB is one of the oldest, most popular rolling paper brands in the industry. Dating back from the early 19th century, it emerged in a period when papermakers were focused on finding cheaper, easier ways to produce paper, which was traditionally made from pressed hemp, linen and cotton.
As you may imagine, back then paper was much more expensive than it is today. Things started to change in the first decade of the 19th century, when various inventors around the world patented their own continuous paper-making machines and introduced wood cellulose as part of the process. It is in this context that we find the origins of OCB and its name.
O for Odet
It all started in 1822. The papermaking industry was rapidly evolving, and René and Guillaume Bolloré, a pair of French brothers, saw an opportunity to establish themselves as papermakers, starting a family-run business that would last for six generations. They opened their first paper mill by the river Odet in Ergué-Gabéric, a locality in the Finisterre department in north-western France. Water is an essential ingredient for making paper pulp, so having access to a nearby water supply was a priority. The letter O in OCB is hence a nod to the fast-flowing river Odet.
C for Cascadec
In 1893, the Bolloré family rented a paper mill in Cascadec, in the locality of Scaër, an expansion move that took OCB to unexpected new heights. When the Cascadec mill first became operational, alongside with rolling papers, the company produced other types of paper such as writing paper, cotton paper and wax paper. But as the demand of rolling papers increased, production increasingly focused only on cigarette paper. In 1917, OCB bought the Cascaded mill and a year later, in 1918, René Bolloré founded the brand Odet Cascadec Bolloré.
B for Bolloré
As you must have guessed by now, the last letter in OCB stands for Bolloré, the surname of the company’s founders. In 1923, the second generation of the family officially registered the brand and started to mass produce OCB rolling papers. By 1930, the company’s two mills were producing around two tons of paper in rolls per year, which were then manufactured into about 86 million rolling paper booklets. 90% of the production was exported, mainly to the USA. As a result, during the Second World War occupation, the company was forced to open a mill in North Carolina to keep up with the American demand.
Once the war was over, the Cascadec mill resumed normal production and expanded its facilities. With a staff of over 350, the company produced not only rolling papers but also Bible paper, tea bag paper and insulation paper for electrical capacitors. All of which accompanied by innovative campaigns such as the sponsoring of the 1948 Tour de France with a truck that folded and cut paper before the audience.
In 1981, Vincent Bolloré took over the reins of the family business and funded Bolloré Technologies, moving production to Perpignan. The company experienced great growth that year and established itself as a leading manufacturer of high quality rolling paper.
With the turn of the millennium, Don Levin, a client of Bolloré Technologies since 1960 and owner of the multinational Republic Tobacco, purchased the brand OCB and the Perpignan mill from the Bolloré brothers, providing the company with all the necessary resources to continue growing. OCB has been a cult smoking accessory brand with a presence on five continents ever since.