The first clay pipes were made by 1575 in England. From there, at the beginning of the 17th century, they entered Holland, in particular Gouda. In France, the first manufacturers set up in business in the free port of Dunkirk. For two centuries, the popular pipes were clay pipes. They were fragile, so that in the second half of the 19th century up to 100 million clay pipes per year were sold!

The introduction of cigars and cigarettes almost threatened the development of pipes. But fortunately, a major development was to save its industry: the burl of the white heather.