The renowned Gavarry soap-works began in the second half of the 1800’s in La Ciotat, a small village in southern France, between Toulon and Marseille.

Its owner, Monsieur Camille Gavarry, entrepreneur and master soap maker, worked hard to build up his business not only in France, but also in Italy, opening a small soap-works plant in Arma di Taggia, in the province of Imperia. With the passage of time Monsieur Gavarry decided to cease his activity, which in 1929 was taken over by Mr. Domenico Sguerso. He incorporated it into his own business, a small so- ap-work firm called “Domenico Sguerso & Figli” which he had founded in 1912 in Savona (not far from Genoa in Northern Italy).

Situated in Santa Teresa alley, in the ancient neighborhood of San Giovanni, it originally produced laundry soap, soap bars and body lotions. In 1922, together with a delegation of Savona’s Chamber of Commerce, Sguerso took part in the Tripoli International Trade Fair, where his Ape brand soap received an award. Abandoning the old company trademark, he chose “Gavarry” to rename the family business, which by then had moved to a more spacious location in Lavagnola, a suburb of Savona.

The “Stabilimenti Italiani Gavarry” was officially born in 1929. This plural title made reference not only to the fact that the Savonese plant had joined the Arma di Taggia soap-works, but also to its Italian iden- tity. In the meantime, Domenico’s sons, Vittorio and Giuseppe, had taken over as business managers, and they decided to focus production in the new Savona soap-making plant, specializing in manufacturing for other companies as well as their own brands (Gavarry, Ape, L’Amande).

Over time, the Gavarry name was growing in reputation throughout all of Italy, becoming increasingly known for its quality products. Bath soaps, shaving soaps and laundry soaps were being manufactured in different shapes, sizes and packaging, providing an invidious variety of offerings.
The Savona plant was by then unable to satisfy the market needs, and the warehouse had to house an ever-increasing range of products.

Thus, in 1940 the family decided to build a new modern plant. The chosen location was an agricultural field surrounded by orchards and trees, about 5 kilometers from Savona, in the village of Albisola Su- periore. Construction work was delayed due to the upheavals of WWII: the new Gavarry was finally completed in 1945, and it was one of the most modern and imposing soap-work factories of its time.

Back in the 19th century, L’Amande was one of the most important brands of the vintage “Garcin & Rabattu” Marseilles soap-works. As time passed the brand became more and more well-known, as its clientele’s esteem of the products grew. Hence, in 1884 the brand was registered with the Marseilles Chamber of Commerce and gave its name to the company: “Huilerie & Savonnerie de L’Amande” was thus born. This company was destined to become one of the most famous soap factories during the golden years of Marseille’s soap-making tradition (the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century).

During the economic expansion phase of the 1950’s, Gavarry took over the L’Amande brand, along with some other minor brands of the F.I.S.A.M (Fabbrica Italiana della Savonnerie Amande di Marsiglia), located in Vallecrosia in the Province of Imperia – a firm created 30 years before by Huilerie & Savonnerie de L’Amande specifically to manufacture and sell their soaps in Italy and in its colonies. In the meantime, in Marseille, due to the damage caused by the bombing of the Second World War, the Huilerie & Savonnerie de L’Amande ceased its activity. All of the original recipes, machinery and customers passed to Gavarry, which subsequently sold both the brand and the recipes to the L’Amande S.r.l. company.

Today L’Amande is one of the five oldest soap brands in the world.