Illustrated Coastal scene inspired by Brittany, near Penmarch.

Furic

Penmarch, Brittany, France

Furic (brand: La Compagnie Bretonne) is a family cannery in Penmarch, Brittany, whose roots trace to 1920s Breton fish trading; the modern canning brand was created in 1998 and is sold mainly direct and through its own shops rather than supermarkets.

✦ Artisan & small-batch

Independent, family-run (La Compagnie Bretonne, led by Sten and Maria Furic); organic EVOO sardines with vintage/millésime releases.

At a glance

Country	France
Region	Brittany
City	Penmarch
Founded	1998 The Furic family has worked in Breton fish trading and canning since the 1920s — Alain Furic (b. 1872) established himself as a fish merchant at Le Guilvinec in the early 1920s — but the current 'La Compagnie Bretonne' cannery brand was created in 1998 as a relaunch/diversification of the family business.
Company	Family-run cannery (Jean-François Furic SAS)
Price	$$$ — premium
Species	Sardina pilchardus (European pilchard) — the EU-reserved name for a true sardine

Notable facts

Furic family fish-trading roots trace to the early 1920s, when Alain Furic (born 1872) worked as a fish merchant at Le Guilvinec.
The 'La Compagnie Bretonne' canning brand was created in 1998.
Expanded from an original 3,000 m² facility on Saint-Guénolé port to a new 6,200 m² plant in Penmarc'h; employed around 86 people as of 2020.
Distribution is deliberately exclusive: not sold in large supermarkets — about 70% goes through roughly eight branded shops and specialty retailers, 30% direct.
Produces vintage-dated 'millésimées' sardines, aged and released by year like wine.

Origin

Furic's roots go back to the early 1920s, when Alain Furic, born in 1872, worked as a fish merchant at Le Guilvinec on Brittany's southern coast. Over the following decades the family business grew from small-scale fish trading into a larger operation based in Penmarc'h.

In 1998 the family relaunched and diversified into premium canning under the brand "La Compagnie Bretonne." The company has since expanded from a 3,000 m² facility on the Saint-Guénolé port to a 6,200 m² plant in Penmarc'h, employing around 86 people by 2020. Unlike most French sardine brands, La Compagnie Bretonne is deliberately kept out of large supermarkets, selling instead through around eight of its own branded shops, specialty retailers, and direct sales — a strategy the family says preserves the brand's artisanal positioning. The range spans everyday "Classiques" preparations, pan-ready butter sardines, reduced-salt options, and vintage-dated "millésimées" tins that are cellared and released by year.