Happy New Year 2026!

Dear all,

I hope you had a wonderful year. Here in Quiberon, time flew by with the wind and the tides, revealing a flood of new recipes and new projects... Through their conscientious work and innovative ideas, the teams at la belle-iloise have made some remarkable progress. So, to kick off these New Year's greetings, I would like to thank them and congratulate them: it is thanks to them that la belle-iloise continues to be such a resounding success!

As I celebrate my 15th anniversary at the helm of the company on this 1st of January, I am very proud to realise that what began in 1932 as my grandfather Georges' entrepreneurial adventure has, over the generations, evolved into a human story and a collective success.

The son of fishmongers from Douarnenez, Georges was quite a character! At the time, there were 160 canneries in France, including 14 in Quiberon, and at the age of 22, he too wanted to try his luck by opening his own production workshop for the sardine fishing season. His meticulous and visionary nature combined high standards with inventiveness: he always had unexpected projects and a whole host of brilliant ideas!

What mattered most to him was the quality of his products, and on this point he could be very stubborn. He designed the packaging for his tins himself, broke away from large retailers when supermarkets first appeared, opened his first shop inside the factory and invented direct sales of tinned fish to private individuals. He also broke new ground by launching the world's first fish spread : Sardine & Whisky Cream!

Carried on by my uncle and father, who developed a unique network of shops in France, this founding philosophy, coupled with creative freedom, has made la belle-iloise a French company that is firmly in tune with the times, knowing how to keep up with the latest trends by daring to do things differently. I am delighted to see how what my grandfather instilled almost 100 years ago continues to live on today!

Since 2011, I have been writing the next chapter in the story, guiding la belle-iloise towards the future. Together with our teams, we have defined our purpose and our commitments, structured our approach to acting conscientiously, and made progress year after year on social and environmental issues, with convincing results.

As we begin our third year as a mission-driven company, we are going even further by continuing our efforts to improve, following the example of our decarbonisation trajectory, which we have just defined for 2032. I invite you to take a look at our very first CSR report, which reflects la belle-iloise's long-standing commitment and details the concrete actions we are taking.

In 2026, la belle-iloise will celebrate culinary daring and invite you to explore new taste territories. More than ever, it will continue to reinvent itself and break free from conventions to surprise you and invite you to enjoy the pleasures of good food... Since the times we live in call on everyone to adapt and transform, let us be free to dare in 2026!

I wish you a very happy New Year.

Caroline Hilliet Le Branchu

Chief Executive Officer of la belle-iloise

Granddaughter of the founder