Founded by J.W. French on the banks of the St. Joseph River in southwest Michigan in 1871, French Paper is one of the last small, independent paper mills in America—and one of the few still owned and run by the same family. “When I tell people I’m a paper salesman, the first thing they say is, ‘Didn’t the internet kill that job?’” jokes Brian French, J.W.’s great-great-great grandson.

It’s true that digital media—as well as foreign competition—has carved a sizable chunk out of the print trade. By one accounting, 126 paper mills closed down in the U.S. between 2000 and 2015. But French Paper, last survivor in the city of Niles, which once boasted five mills, is celebrating its 147th year.

That could be because the company has always taken a slightly unconventional approach. If there is such a thing as the cutting edge of the paper business, the French family has consistently occupied it. In 1915, Brian’s great-grandfather Frank started investing in hydropower to ensure a steady source of electricity, a decision that has conserved more than a million barrels of fossil fuels over the years. (Today, excess electricity is pumped back to the city grid.) During the Great Depression, the company was early to adopt the use of recycled-fiber paper, and in 1949 it introduced the first-ever animal-free imitation parchment sheet.

That spirit of quiet innovation carries on, with fifth-generation Jerry French at the helm as CEO, and Brian, VP of sales and marketing, and his sister Kim, regional sales manager, on board as sixth-generation operators.

“As a small mill, we’re flexible and nimble,” says Brian. “We do a lot of specialty work, from matching a specific Pantone shade for a logo to adding things like grass clippings, coffee grounds, or glitter to paper for a custom touch.”

“We sell paper to everyone, from a person who just wants a custom ream for a home printer to Fortune 500 companies.”
—Brian French

While the factory of about 110 employees still produces “traditional” print products—things like envelopes and standard 8.5x11 paper—it has specialized in custom paper since 1931, when it pivoted away from manufacturing paper baking trays to making premium stationery. (It has never made newsprint.)

Brian attributes much of the company’s resilience to its longtime creative agency, Charles S. Anderson Design. From the retro-cool French bull terrier logo to the quirky promotional materials—including an 18-inch inflatable Jerry French doll—French Paper’s ad campaigns are cheekier than you’d expect from a brand that’s a few years away from celebrating its sesquicentennial. Most important, the Minneapolis–based agency has kept French Paper top-of-mind for graphic designers and high-end retailers looking for packaging with a certain X-factor. “Fun is part of our brand. It helps set us apart,” Brian says.

Plenty has changed in Niles since trappers and traders, the city’s first entrepreneurs, swapped goods and supplies on the edges of the St. Joseph. But the city of about 11,000 still thrives on what Brian calls its hardworking Midwest mentality.

“We can get a call from a customer and make paper the same week or early the next, while others may not be able to do it for weeks,” Brian says. “Our building is old, but our machines are updated constantly to keep pace with where the business is going.”

Black Licorice Roll

The French family illuminates the art of papermaking, step by step.