The company was founded by Michel Gibrat, a cabinetmaker by trade in the village of Le Boulou, Pyrénées-Orientales.
It was by diversifying its traditional activity, starting in 1930 with the manufacture of iceboxes, then large isothermal demountable cabinets, that the emblematic Gibrat company achieved its first successes. These cabinets were designed to maintain product temperature by adding ice packs. These were creations that we could classify as "conservative" furniture! The insulation essential for proper operation was obtained by using a noble material available locally: natural cork. Butchers and restaurateurs were the company's first customers.

Buoyed by its continuing commercial success, and prompted by the outbreak of a fire in its historic premises, Michel Gibrat decided to expand and, at the same time, relocate his company.
The location of Nissan lez Ensérune, close to the Canal du Midi with its navigable waterways, and on the edge of the railroad line, seemed ideally suited to his needs.

With the advent of direct-expansion compressor units (initially imported from the USA), which replaced ice blocks, self-contained refrigerated display cabinets replaced iceboxes, and became of interest to all food retailers. The manufacture of refrigerated display cases lined on the outside and inside with 900° vitrified enamel steel establishes the company's reputation for quality.
Gibrat gradually becomes the market leader in France. Thanks to compressors and evaporators, cold is now produced by the furniture - a revolution that will enable many food shops to expand. The modest carpenter's workshop was transformed into a full-fledged production plant, integrating several new trades into the company. The workforce reached 180 in the sixties and seventies.

The cork insulation initially applied and glued has been replaced by the direct injection of polyurethane foam in a forming mold: we continue to use this technique, which not only guarantees a very good insulation coefficient from the outset, even for the most complex shapes, but above all ensures that this quality is maintained over the long term. The introduction of stainless steel means that we can now use boiler-formed display vats and, in particular, offer display surfaces cooled by evaporators integrated under the vat, which can be washed down with plenty of water. Here we are, custodians of remarkable know-how! Our furniture is renowned for its efficiency, sturdiness and longevity.

The company is developing its know-how in the manufacture of custom-made refrigerated display cases and in Angle to offer complex layouts adapted to each customer's store.
At the same time, refrigeration is adapted to each family of products on display, to create multi-temperature units for confectioners in particular.
The company now offers refrigerated units for rear service, and front service for pioneers. Product lighting is also integrated into the manufacture of display cases.

The Gibrat family, led by Richard Gibrat, the creator's nephew, developed the brand and set up sales offices in Clermont-Ferrand and Paris.
Sales of Gibrat products are mainly made through "Frigoristes" installer partners.
The 80s and 90s saw the company reach its commercial peak.
In the 2000s, with the arrival of numerous cheaper competing products, mainly manufactured outside France, the company was forced to downsize considerably.

Olivier Turlan, initially a Gibrat customer, decided to take up the challenge! He decided to invest his energy and limited personal financial resources, and set himself the goal of giving this fine company a fresh start.
Relying on the know-how still present in the company and the courage of its employees, the company quickly regained its equilibrium. In a hotly contested industrial sector, the challenge now is to position the brand in the high-end market of hand-crafted, made-to-measure refrigerated units.

The Gibrat company, now resized, offers its customers customized refrigerated units of consistently high quality. Signings with the great names of French pastry-making give rise to magnificent creations of refrigerated units. The company regains market share and modernizes considerably. Our design office becomes a strong point and a driving force behind creation. Gibrat has the capacity and know-how to offer our customers customized layout solutions. The workshop is progressively equipped with modern, high-performance machine tools, enabling more efficient, top-of-the-range production.

The difficult Covid years have not slowed the company down. Our teams have exported some very fine products to Australia, England, the USA, Canada, Asia... Always on the lookout for new ideas, GIBRAT has created a brand new concept: its first custom-built mobile kiosk equipped with integrated GIBRAT refrigerated display cases. There's no need for a sales room: the principle is to place the GIBRAT mobile kiosk directly on the area allocated to the business, so sales can start very quickly. The kiosk can be easily moved to another location. Ideal for airports, train stations and shopping malls

In addition to its traditional production of made-to-measure display cases, Gibrat is now offering an "Occitane" range of ventilated refrigerated units in three predefined sizes, which can be assembled together, and two types of mirrors! Modularity gives our Butcher customers access to our exceptionally robust, high-quality products, with short lead-times and competitive prices.