Companies, Les Hénokiens, the Enochians
Historical and successful businesses, capable and long-lived
An international association brings together family businesses with at least 200 years of history and in good financial health.
Three requirements:
1) at least 200 years of history,
2) the family still at the reins,
3) healthy accounts
Among the Italians, Beretta, Amarelli and Lanificio Conte
The idea was of the French entrepreneur Gérard Glotin, managing director of the Marie Brizard company, who in 1981 thought of an association that would bring together the strengths and experiences of the longest-running family businesses.
The name – Les Hénokiens, the Enochians – recalls the biblical figure of Enoch. The father of Methuselah and great-grandfather of Noah, according to tradition, lived 365 years and then ascended to heaven without dying. And what better wish for a company, if not to live forever?
The Les Hénokiens association
Once he had the intuition, Glotin went after the companies that had to have three stringent characteristics: at least 200 years of history, the family still in the reins, economic accounts in good health.
To mobilize in the enterprise, 164 Chambers of Commerce and 25 commercial attachés, who drafted a first list of 74 companies, and then to admit to the exclusive club only a third of these.
Currently, there are 48 members of the association:
13 French, 11 Italians, 9 Japanese, 4 German, 3 Swiss, 2 Dutch, two Belgians, one English, one Spanish and one Austrian.
Almost all sectors are represented, from heavy industry to textiles, from food to jewelery, from finance to construction.
The goal of the association is to grow its members in the world through a common philosophy:
the value of the concept of family business, seen as a valid alternative to the multinational one.
The members of the association are not in competition.
Do not exchange services, but only ideas.
Italian companies
Among the 11 Italian companies is the Calabrian Amarelli, which has been trading in liquorice since the early 1500s.
To tell its story, today in Rossano there is also the Liquorice Museum.
The leading exponent is the Pietro Beretta Arms Factory, founded in Lombard Gardone Val Trompia and today firmly in the hands of the 15th generation of the family.
The most popular sector among the Hénokiens is that of wines and liqueurs, in which stand out Italian realities such as the Nardini distillery, from Bassano del Grappa, and the wine producer Guerrieri Rizzardi from Bardolino, on the Verona side of Lake Garda.
Another example of resistance over time is the Lanificio Conte di Schio, founded in 1757.
The original nucleus of the opificio is an important example of industrial archeology.
And again: the shipowner Augustea, the Cartiera Mantovana, the Lanificio Piacenza wool mill (which today is dedicated mainly to fine yarns), Garbellotto (specialized in wood: from barrels to parquet), the Venetian foundry Colbachini which has been making bells for three centuries. with the original Benvenuto Cellini method.
Finally, the Piedmontese wool mill and hat factory Vitale Barberis Canonico deserves a mention. It was founded in 1663. Particularly attentive to environmental issues and human resources, a code of ethics was given to minimize the impact on the territory and maximize the satisfaction of its employees.
The secrets of success
The longevity of the companies does not depend on the case.
It is the association itself that has drawn a kind of identikit of its members:
“The Hénokiens stand out for their specific characteristics: respect for the quality of products and human relations, the know-how passed on with passion from one generation to the next and the constant questioning of results.
Their example is a message of hope for all family businesses, especially those that form the economic and social fabric of the future “.
In the course of its activity, this very particular club has, among other things, involved some of the most famous universities (INSEAD, Bocconi, Harvard …) to study the case history of the Methuselahs of the business, in search of the secrets of their longevity and prosperity.
Among the strategic elements highlighted, are the ability to maintain the specificity linked to the peculiarities of the founding family, the attention to values (quality, working conditions, eco-sustainability), the ability to weave networks and the ability to reconcile tradition with innovation.
01 February 2019
The van
Source Borsa Italiana
