À Tremblade, there are salty aromas that awaken childhood memories. Those of the fish soup that grandparents prepared, the old-fashioned way, with love... and with real fish! It is precisely this tradition that the Bertin Conserverie perpetuates. The family adventure began in 1969 and continues to simmer with passion.
Meet Marine, the 3rd generation in charge, in the historic premises where it all began, the very same ones where her grandparents were already preparing soup.
A story of family and transmission
The family adventure begins at the dawn of the 70s with Bertin's grandparents. The grandfather, then an oyster farmer by trade, expanded his business with the sale of fish and shellfish at markets and at the fish market in PalmyraAt the same time, the grandmother developed the cannery.
The three heirs, Marilyne, Bruno, and Didier, continued the same path. The aunt kept the fish market in La Palmyre. The uncle continued the large markets. Marine's father, Bruno, took over the cannery under the name Seudre Atlantic Fishery.
Everything is thought out! When the fish isn't pretty enough to put on the shelves, it ends up in the pots. The fish is valued and a circular economy is created.
Attachment to family tradition means that Marine joins the company, initially in work-study. She has completed a BTS in customer relations negotiation, where she takes charge of the administrative and commercial aspects. 22 years, she finally becomes Executive Director with his father at the helm of the company as manager. A few years later, it was his younger brother's turn. At the age of 18, he set his sights on production. This is why he also joined the structure on a work-study program to study agri-food.
The Bertin siblings are reunited to continue to perpetuate culinary traditions of the small family business. In order to identify the activity more clearly, it becomes Bertin Cannery while retaining the name Pêcherie Seudre Atlantique as indicated on the current labels.
To date, three employees, originally from the Royan region, have joined the team to maintain the pace and good health of the company alongside Marine and her brother, respectively manager and co-manager.
Local products and manufacturing secrets from the Bertin Cannery
At the Bertin Conserverie, there is no question of making soup with industrial leftovers. We favor local ingredients. Fish and shellfish come directly from the La Cotinière auction in Oléron : gurnard, conger, eel or even hake, at a rate of around 1,5 tonnes per week. The vegetables, of French origin, are already cut, to save time and labor. And everything is homemade, including vegetable stock.
Once delivered, the fish is cleaned and then gutted entirely by hand, as the grandfather already did. A long but essential step to guarantee the product quality. Result : a soup with 44% fish, prepared in 300-litre pots, ground, filtered, potted in a saucepan, then sterilised in an autoclave. Nearly 800 jars come out every day from the workshop. Everything, right down to the labeling, is done on-site, by hand.
The cannery's flagship product, the Trembladais Velouté now available with langoustine, green crab or even mussels. Each recipe has its own personality!
growing notoriety for the Bertin Cannery
Even in the time of my grandparents, the fishery's reputation extended beyond the borders of the department. Tremblay soup was noticed on the large fairs of Gourdon and Sardent.
Today, the cannery continues to expand its range. Although its jars can be found in local supermarkets, particularly in La Tremblade or Marennes, his fame continues to grow“We’re getting more and more requests from further and further afield,” says Marine. “We deliver to restaurants, fishmongers, and delicatessens all over France.”
Nevertheless, the company remains on a human scaleIt continues to open its doors every morning, Monday to Friday, for direct sales. This is an opportunity to watch the fish being prepared and to leave with a tasting box of different specialties.
Head full of projects, feet firmly planted
At 460 square meters, the current premises of the Bertin cannery are no longer sufficient to meet growing demand. "We have lots of ideas, lots of things in mind, but we can't implement them, so it's a bit frustrating." The goal: to find a new, more spacious location in order to modernize the equipment, improve working conditions, and create a proper shop, perhaps even with a display showcasing the production process.
People love to see how it's done, they need authenticity, local, transparency.
When it comes to recipes, there’s no shortage of ideas: Cognac and Pineau veloutés, a touch of salt from the Isle of Ré... Little extras that don't detract from the house spirit: simple, local recipes reminiscent of grandmothers' cooking.
In any case, staying in La Tremblade is a given. "Even when we lived elsewhere, we always came back here. This is home." A deep-seated attachment to the land, its nature, its traditional skills. Here, tradition is cultivated, artisanal excellence is valued, and an identity is defended. And all of this is reflected in every jar bearing the Bertin signature.
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