Marcel Bich
The founder of BIC came from an Aosta Valley family
A pen known all over the world bears an Aosta Valley name, give or take a letter. BIC comes from Bich, the surname of the man who launched it, Marcel Bich. He was born in Turin in 1914, into a family from the Aosta Valley.
From ink to the ballpoint pen
Marcel Bich first worked in the ink industry, in modest jobs. There he learned the trade. In 1945, he bought a factory in France and set up on his own. He developed a simple, cheap ballpoint pen, which he sold under the name BIC, a shortened version of Bich. It was the starting point of a global company.
Pens, then other objects
The company did not stop at the pen. It went on to make other everyday objects, such as lighters and disposable razors. The idea remained the same: a simple, practical and inexpensive product.
And the Aosta Valley?
Marcel Bich spent his whole career in France. His family roots, however, remained in the Aosta Valley, and he is often described as having stayed attached to the region of his ancestors. The people of the Aosta Valley, for their part, are happy to count him as one of their own.
An industrialist’s career
His story is that of an industrialist who built a major brand from an ordinary object. It is also a reminder that many Aosta Valley families made their lives outside the valley, in Turin, in Paris or elsewhere.
