MARCA FRANCE, established in 1957

THE ARTISAN OF EMOTIONS...

#1 CANE OF VAR

START YOUR ADVENTURE WITH MARCA REEDS

MARCA is the only manufacturer of reeds to use wild cane from the Var region. Our production is 100% Made in FRANCE since 1957. will all our quality of product and sustainable development, MARCA was awarded from French government with the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant”. Its nature which supplies us with the cane, and it is nature which, despite the care taken during manufacture, sometimes influences the final result. Clarinetist, Saxophonists, Oboists, Bassoonists… all know the difficulties in finding a « good reed » or at least one that suit them !

#2 MARCA REEDS KNOWLEDGE

60 YEARS OF PASSION IN MAKING PROFESSIONAL REEDS

We ensure the maximum quality for the finished product.The musician who opens his box of reeds finds them wrapped “nice and warm” laid out in an orderly fashion, can hardly imagine the difficulties that had to be overcome during the course of their manufacture. Therefore, we want to try and present the manufacturing process of a reed. Not everything can be summed up in a few line, and point of view may differ, but these are always welcome since it is th only way to learn and to progress. This is complicated craft, in which the first worker in the process is nature itself, which seasonally produces the cane. Cutting of the cane is done in winter. The worker who do the cutting are faced with adverse weather, and their task is tiring and difficult. The manufacture of the reed requires great precision so as to ensure the maximum quality for the finished product. Following an interwship at our company, a young worker told us

#3 HIGH QUALITY MADE SINCE 1957

BOXE AFTER BOXE, REED AFTER REED...

In teh heart of the Var, southern France, in Ollioules, the GUCCINI famaly has been growing the cane. The scientific name for the cane is “Arundo Donax”, a giant grass that is typically to be found in mediterranean climates. It doesn’t flower every year, and never yields fruit, its reproduction being vegetal. It takes place through rhizomes which grow and develop indifinitely. In the Var region, winter constitudes the plant’s period of rest, but as of March the rhizomes come into bud creating stems that continue to grow into September. Already the first year, the tems reach their final height, 7 meters (20 feet), and diameter. This one year old cane is used in basket making or in the manufacture of garden shades known in Provence as “ cannisses”. The seconde year the stems lignify and cover themselves with a natural varnish which is hard, shiny and impermeable, and banch out at the top. It is only this two year old cane which is used in the manufacture of the reeds, following slection according to ots diameter. The cane is cut with shears specialy design to avoid the bursting the fibeer of the cane. All cane is cut by hand , one by one, step by step, in the tradition. The tubes are then restocked in a well aired place.After a certain time while the cane rests and stabilizes itself, it is then selected needs to be carefully planned out, so as to assure enough for one year’s production. Marca use 200.000 canes by year for produce the Marca reeds… It is at this time that the still raw cane progressively begins its transformation process into reeds…

#4 PROFESSIONAL REEDS

MORE THAN A PIECE OF CANE...

“As a reed instrument player, I will in future have so much more respect for this small piece of cane, for I now know of the many hours of work which are required to give it the quality that we musicians need so much !”...