Sardines
Petit Navire
Petit Navire is a mass-market French sardine and tuna brand founded in 1932 in Douarnenez, now owned by Thailand's Thai Union Group and sold widely in French supermarkets.
At a glance
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Region | Brittany |
| City | Douarnenez |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Company | Industrial cannery |
| Price | $ — budget |
| Species | Sardina pilchardus (European pilchard) — the EU-reserved name for a true sardine |
| Owner | Thai Union Group |
Notable facts
- Founded in 1932 in Douarnenez by Paul-Édouard Paulet, who bought a struggling cannery and the 'Petit Navire' name.
- The brand's sailing-sardine-boat logo was watercolour-painted by the founder's wife, Marguerite Paulet.
- Paulet's sons Jean and Yves took over in 1955 after their father's disappearance during WWII; a new modernised plant opened at Pouldavid, Douarnenez, in 1963.
- Ownership passed from Heinz (stake from 1981, full control 1986–2006) to investment fund MW Brands (2006–2010), then to Thailand's Thai Union Group in 2010, reportedly for around €680 million.
Behind the tin
The brand is owned by Thai Union Group.
Origin
Petit Navire was founded in 1932 in Douarnenez when Paul-Édouard Paulet bought a struggling local cannery along with the "Petit Navire" name. His wife Marguerite painted the brand's now-iconic watercolour logo of a sardine boat under gulls, and Paulet became known for early employee profit-sharing and for a "frying basin" innovation that allowed year-round production.
After Paulet disappeared during the Second World War, his sons Jean and Yves took over in 1955 and opened a modernised plant at Pouldavid, Douarnenez, in 1963. The brand later passed through a string of larger owners: American food giant Heinz took a stake in 1981 and full control in 1986, before divesting its European seafood business in 2006 to investment fund MW Brands. In 2010, Thailand's Thai Union Group acquired MW Brands — and with it Petit Navire — in a deal reported at around €680 million, and the brand remains part of Thai Union today.
Now one of France's best-known supermarket sardine and tuna brands, Petit Navire sells a wide range of canned fillets, from plain and grilled to olive-oil and lemon variants, alongside its long-running mackerel and tuna lines.
Products
Filets de Sardines Nature
Oil-free sardine fillets.
Where to buyFilets de Sardines Grillées
Grilled-style sardine fillets.
Where to buyFilets de Sardines à l'Huile d'Olive Vierge Extra
Core supermarket olive-oil SKU.
Where to buyFilets de Sardines à l'Huile d'Olive et au Citron
Olive-oil sardines with lemon.
Where to buyFilets de Sardines Sans Arêtes à l'Huile d'Olive
Boneless fillets in olive oil.
Where to buy
Compiled from public reporting and the brand's own materials.
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