The Vendée Globe trophy is made in Sarthe at the Macheret foundry in Montfort-le-Gesnois

The Macheret art foundry has been based in Montfort-le-Gesnois for 33 years. It was Paul Macheret, founder of the company, who made the casts for the Vendée Globe trophy in 2004. Since that date, the Sarthe company has manufactured the trophy every four years. A job that takes several weeks

You must be ready before the start of the race

Every four years, the artisans of the Macheret art foundry bring out the casts of the Vendée Globe trophy. Its completion requires nearly 150 hours of work. The trophy is 70 centimeters high and weighs eight kilos. The foundry's craftsmen begin to bring out the molds in July. It is made of bronze and covered with a light layer of silver. It is a multi-part casting. It is then melted and then the bronze workers work again on the different pieces which are then assembled. “We have to be ready well before departure, because the trophy is on display in the Vendée Globe village from mid-October” underlines Paul Macheret, one of the company's co-managers.

A Sarthe company that is doing well

The Macheret art foundry is doing well. It has numerous contracts with high-end trophies for events. There is the Vendée Globe, and also several football clubs like PSG and Monaco. The Sarthoise company also manufactures the trophies for the NRJ Music Awards. It has also diversified its activity for several years now into luxury lighting under the brand “Interlacing”. She sells several pieces in luxury hotels around the world and will open a showroom in Paris this January 2025. The company was created in 1982. It has around twenty employees. It has a turnover of three million euros. A sharply increasing result which allows this family company to expand. Work will soon begin to double the capacity of the site from 900 to 1,900 m².