
EVERY STORY HAS A BEGINING
In 1820 French government asked Charles D. RÖDEL the best student of Nicolas Appert ( inventor of preservation) build up his cannery close to Royal NAVY warehouse.
In 1824 Rödel & Fils Freres cannery in Bordeaux was born and destined for greatness.

Rödel's canned sardines became famous thanks to NAVY captains who bought Rödel goods and sold them abroad at great profit.
Very soon Rodel was shipping his sardines to Shanghai, Hanoi and Tokyo. His customers included Lord Moutenbatten, 1st Count of Burma and India, Brazilian Emperor Pedro II. and many famous names of European society.
Rodel &Fils Freresshop in Canton Street 6 SHANGHAI 1912
GOLDEN AGE
When Charles and Victoria passed away in 1870, their grandsons took over the factory
Production expanded: sardines in Brittany, meat and vegetables in Bordeaux.
They acquired the English company Crasse & Blackwell as well as all shares of the firm Dandicolle & Gaudin. At its peak, the company employed 1,500 workers.
This was the golden era of the enterprise.
Rödel employees in 1921, when family business became shareholding company RODEL s.a.s.
21st. Century
The family business was hit hard by the economic crisis of 1934–1937. World War II not only stopped all exports, but the family was persecuted by the Nazis because of their origin. Henry Rodel was arrested by the Gestapo in Toulouse on February 24, 1944, deported to Germany and shot on April 15, 1945.
After the war, the founder's great-grandson Jacques Rodel ran the company as director until 1968. After his death, there was no one left in the family to take a leading position in the company. The family decided to maintain only a limited production of high-quality products and supply them exclusively to a few iconic stores in France, such as La Grande Épicerie and Galeries Lafayette, where customers seek perfection and tradition. This has made them a mystical brand for gourmets. In March 2025, the shareholders decided to change the current situation.

RETURN OF A LEGEND
What you will taste today is the result of this long journey: uniqueness, authenticity, perfection and the legacy of the soul of a true legend.

Curiosities from History
In 1790, a young and ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte offered a reward to anyone who could find a way to preserve food for his army.
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.
By 1810, even the exiled Napoleon on Elba was dining on preserved fare, courtesy of the Royal Navy. And in 1848, the firm Rodel & Fils proudly supplied the presidential palace — serving none other than Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, France’s first elected president and the emperor’s nephew.
SHORT STORY OFPRESERVATION
For his first preservation he used Glass jar
Nicolas Appert Inventor of food preservation
The first Tinplate can created by Bryan DONKIN
First Sardines cans looks familiar but you needed knife and hammer to open it.
In 1850 there were 25 fish canneries in France ,
In 1954, there were 234 fish canneries in France
Today is only 16 fish canneries in France whose brands guaranteeing the expertise of the pioneers.