Lobster Bisque (Bisque de Homard), La Belle Iloise

La Belle Iloise was set up in 1932 as a fish cannery, just off the fishing port of Quiberon by the son of a local rowboat fisherman. The company refused to cater to mass distribution in the 1960’s, as superstores began to open across the country, and instead vowed to pursue quality. In 1967 the company decided to start selling direct to customers from a small shop, and by 2011, the cannery was present along the entire French coast, with 50 quaint little shops in total. The company continues to innovate with new recipes, all still housed in the colourful, illustrated packages that have become the trademark of the company.

La Belle Iloise have been working exclusively with wild fish since 1932 and so very carefully choose the fishermen they work with. They follow scientific advice and institutional community rules, and try to minimise their footprint on marine resources and ecosystems. Most of their fishing takes place as close to Quiberon as possible, in Breton waters.
All the fish they catch are measured and any juveniles or immature species are released. They also fish seasonally to catch each fish at peak health and size. They absolutely never fish during breeding season.
They use the most sustainable fishing methods for each species - pole and line fishing for tuna and bolinche fishing for sardines. They have a complete ban on FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices).

In the factory itself, the cooling water from autoclaves in reused to wash the cans and workshops. This represents a 30% reduction in their annual water consumption.
Their biggest water expense has also been cut by a factor of 5 since 2022, with the installation of a sardine washer.
All their products are sold in metal cans and are infinitely recyclable.