Forminière
The Société internationale forestière et minière du Congo, known as Forminière, was a lumber and mining company in the Belgian Congo. Founded by in 1906, the company began diamond mining in Kasai in 1913. At its height, Forminière was involved in gold and silver mining, cotton, palm and rubber cultivation, farming, sawmilling and even owned shops. The Belgian colonial state co-owned 50 percent of the company's capital, the rest being held largely by American shareholders.
For the length of its existence, from 1913 to 1961, Forminière had a monopoly on diamond production in Kasai.
Forminière and its rival, the Société minière de Beceka, dominated the production of diamonds in the Belgian Congo. In 1959, Forminière's production of diamonds rose to 425,234 carats. However, after the 1960 independence of Congo and unrest in the region, company operations soon ceased. Forminière was the principal corporate supporter of the secessionist state of South Kasai and received concessions from its government in exchange for financial support.
