How This 300-Year-Old Pastel Stick Maker Creates Nearly 2,000 Colors — More Than It's Biggest Competitors Henri Roché pastels are highly coveted for their particular texture, ability to adhere to most mediums, and intensity of colors. For over 300 years, La Maison du Pastel has handcrafted these pastels, used by artists like Degas and Monet. Today, the company is run and operated by just two women — Isabelle Roché, a distant relative of Henri Roché, and Margaret Zayer. But it's taken them decades of work since Isabelle took over the dying company in 2000 to build it back up to where it is today. We visited their secret workshop in the French countryside to see how La Maison du Pastel is still standing.