FOCUS on Sardine Season

“At la belle-iloise, it's Lady Sardine who decides!” This original refrain by Georges Hilliet, our founder, has always set the pace for the seasons at the Cannery: here, sardines are a precious resource that we must adapt to, depending on the winds and tides!

To celebrate the end of the Sardine Season which started last May and to thank all our teams, especially our seasonal workers, we invite you to take a tour of our traditional Workshop. From the very first step of receiving the sardines from our partner fishermen to the final canning of our delicious and beautiful tins, discover the daily life of those who craft our exceptional cans of sardines!

Group photo of the Traditional Workshop teams before lunch break!

Freshly caught sardines arriving at the factory courtyard: Catherine Dendelé, Production Manager, and our partner fisherman from the Marisis boat (Quiberon).

Jonathan carries the sardine crates to the delivery bay.

On the quay, Catherine inspects the quality of the sardines in order to adapt the manufacturing programme accordingly: checking the freshness index, mould and fat content.

“When the sardine arrives, you have to decide which recipe to use it for. Some require a more or less fatty sardine, and you have to be able to change your plans to adapt to the specific qualities of the fish.”
Catherine Dendelé, Production Manager

Jérôme and Clément put the sardines into trays for the brining step.

You can see the freshness of sardines in the quality of the gills, eyes, and the shine of their scales!

Placed on a cart, the bins are taken by Clément for brining

Yann handles the brining: the sardines are soaked in salted water whose concentration is adjusted for each batch to best bring out their flavour!

A look into the gutting line: the fish are carefully prepared by hand before cooking.

With a single, precise movement, Sylvette removes the head and guts from the sardine before placing it on the grill.

Martial places the grids of gutted sardines, which have been washed beforehand, on the trolley. They are specially tilted to remove excess moisture before cooking!

Julien, a permanent line operator in charge of baking, pushes the trolley into the dryer.

Brett is about to put the sardines in the deep fryer...

Once cooked, the sardines are left to drain for a few hours and wait until the next day before being canned!

Anwar feeds the packing line with the sardine grids cooked the day before.

Work carefully and with a smile! Lolita, Véronique and Nicole are busy packing: the tails and necks of the sardines are cut with scissors, then they are placed in tins one by one, by hand.

Anne-Claire, line manager, coordinates the packaging side of the business: she ensures that particular attention is paid to the visual and aesthetic balance of the boxes, as well as to maintaining a good working atmosphere among everyone!

« The la belle-iloise operators are committed to doing a good job and feel a strong sense of belonging to their companies. In addition to a healthy and safe product, customers know that when they open a Les Belles-Iloises tin, they will find something beautiful and appetising inside ! ».
Catherine Dendelé, Production Manager

Ingredients arrangement: Eric and Nathalie arrange the ingredients for the recipe by hand: spices, herbs, seasonings or, in this case, slices of fresh lemon!

Oiling: the sardines are covered in extra virgin olive oil, which preserves them and rounds out their flavours until the tin is opened!

Sealing: the tins are closed with a lid, a crucial step in ensuring that the preserve is airtight and thus guaranteeing the food safety of the product.

Gabriel adjusts the autoclave settings according to the recipe for appertisation: heat treatment above 100°C to preserve the sardines until the tin is opened!

After the canning process, the tins of sardines are ready to be assembled into assortments or gift boxes and sold!

At the end of the day, we take advantage of the water jet to clean our uniforms!

A huge 'BRAVO' to everyone for this successful Sardine Season 2025! Six months of hard work as the sardines arrived... A spirit of excellence, attention to quality and a great atmosphere once again made the season a success, with the same traditional expertise passed down from generation to generation since 1932... THANK YOU and see you in 2026!

Photo credits : Joséphine Lefebvre https://josephine-lefebvre.fr/