About Us
& History

A Living Legend
What you taste today is the result of a 201-year journey. Pioneers of a new industry, ambassadors of French cuisine, guardians of tradition, and protectors of the sea and its community. That is Rödel today.

CHARLES DÉSIRÉ RÖDEL
— child of the revolution, pioneer of canning, and inventor of Gourmet Canned food

Charles Désiré Rödel and his successors elevated preserved food to an art — crafted with refinement, precision, and a taste worthy of France’s finest cuisine.

In 1820, the French government asked Charles D. Rödel — the most gifted student of Nicolas Appert — to establish a cannery in Bordeaux to supply the Royal Navy.

Since 1824, Rödel & Fils Frères has preserved the finest delicacies and become a proud ambassador of French gastronomy.

The first Global brand

Rödel’s sardines gained worldwide fame when French Navy captains, impressed by their quality, carried the tins abroad — making Rödel a name known far beyond France.

Soon, our sardines reached London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hanoi and Tokyo

Maison Rödel Boutique
— Canton Street 1, Shanghai, 1912

Journey to 21st.Century

Over time, much of the canning industry moved to Spain, Portugal, and later North Africa in search of lower costs. Industrial fishing replaced the traditional methods once used on the Brittany coast, threatening both oceans and authenticity.

Rödel chose a different path — maintaining limited production in Brittany with local fishermen, crafting only the finest sardines. Today, our products are found exclusively in iconic French stores like La Grande Épicerie and Galeries Lafayette, making Rödel a name whispered among gourmets.

The LEGEND of QUALITY

Curiosities from our History

  • In 1790, a young Napoleon Bonaparte offered a reward to anyone who could find a reliable way to preserve food for his army — a challenge that would spark one of the greatest culinary innovations of its time.

    Napoleon Bonaparte

  • By 1795, Nicolas Appert had done just that — inventing a method of sealing food in airtight glass jars. The technique was deemed so valuable it remained a state secret until 1809.

    Nicolas Appert

  • Until his death in 1921, Napoleon Bonaparte was supplied with canned food from a Bordeaux cannery serving the Royal Navy, founded by Charles Désiré Rödel.

    Napoleon Bonaparte in exile

  • And in 1848, the firm Rodel & Fils Frères proudly supplied the presidential palace — serving none other than Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, France’s first elected president and the emperor’s nephew.

    Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte