The Canadian manufacturing company Huppe was founded in 1967 by Raymond Hamel and his two brothers and was based in the family home’s basement. They manufactured one thing and one thing only – cedar chests. But they manufactured them well and soon the company was experiencing such growth that they moved five times until they settled in an industrial park outside of Quebec City. Their growth continued and soon they sold their cedar chests from Halifax to Vancouver. The gradually added coffee tables, wall units, and bedroom and dining sets. In the 1990’s Raymond’s son took over and introduced more contemporary designs than was in the current lineup.
In 2010 Jean-Francois (Jeff) Nolin purchased the company and set out to become a leader in the contemporary furniture world not only in Canada but also in the United States. With the addition of the talented and seasoned designer Joel Dupras there is no stopping these two. The line UP was introduced to give an alternative to the higher end retailer – it is not always necessary to go to Europe to buy high design and quality. Their vision states their path very clearly – the growth of the business rests on research, development and efficient manufacturing and management processes.
One of the most exciting things that Jeff and his team have done is to completely revamp the manufacturing process and get their business as close to a zero footprint as is possible. The green movement, sustainability and caring for the future is very important to him. He is married and the father of young children so takes this very seriously.
In the past couple of years they have made use of well known designers like Karim Rashiid and Wolfgang in order to broaden the line. They show at all the major North American markets and are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
We have many samples of the Huppe line on our floor – Karim Rashiid’s bedroom set the Kosy, the Wolfgang dining set, the Plank and Swan bedroom sets and one of our most popular desks the Swan. Take a few minutes to come in and see the product for yourself.
