THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF AZAÏS-POLITO

For over 60 years, Azaïs-Polito has been perpetuating a unique artisanal know-how, deeply rooted in the culture of Cétoise. Here, it all starts with the quality of the ingredients and a commitment to local cuisine.

The meticulous selection of fish, vegetables and other ingredients is part of this premium quality. Each fish is inspected for freshness, texture and size; each vegetable is chosen for its quality and flavour.

This stage guarantees food safety, consistent flavour and optimum texture in the finished products. It is a key artisanal process carried out by operators who have a perfect knowledge of the raw materials and their behaviour before and after cooking. This mastery reflects the demand for precision and respect for the product that has characterised Azaïs-Polito for over 60 years, as desired by its CEO, Jean-Claude Polito, a master artisan canner. It is essential to understand that certain raw materials are deliberately excluded from the production process. For example, Azaïs-Polito does not work with blue fish, such as horse mackerel or ‘Gascon’, which are too sensitive to oxidation, in order to preserve a clean taste and initial flavours.

Historically, the company is the largest buyer of rock fish from the four French Mediterranean auctions in the Gulf of Lion. In this way, it supports local fishing by paying a fair price for the fish, thereby enhancing the value of the work done by the first link in the fishing chain.
This loyalty goes hand in hand with a strong commitment to regional products: the rouilles and aïolis are made with fresh eggs from Hérault farms, and the fish soup is deglazed exclusively with Picpoul de Pinet, a renowned local white wine that the company favours over cheaper alternatives from elsewhere.

The squid and mussels are also stuffed by hand, using stuffing prepared in a traditional charcuterie in Monts-de-la-Cône. The fillings are made on the premises using Azaïs-Polito’s own recipes.

We also make our sauces by hand, using precise techniques to optimise flavour and texture: skimming, simmering and skilful proportioning, all of which will be explained in more detail later in the tour. Everything is designed to preserve the soul of the product that characterises it.

True to its values, Azaïs-Polito does not strive for productivity, but for precision of gesture and finesse of taste. Excellence lies particularly in our refusal to mass-produce. That’s how we think and what we do at Azaïs-Polito. It’s undoubtedly what still makes the difference between our traditional cannery and industrialised production.

What’s more, the craftsmanship is not just present in production. It is also based on the mechanical ingenuity inherited from the Polito family. Jean-Claude Polito was the only one to master and design these complex machines specific to the company.

It was he who passed on this know-how to the company’s maintenance teams and fitters. Even today, some of the machines we use no longer exist on the market, and are maintained or rebuilt exclusively by qualified in-house operators, who are capable of remanufacturing the necessary parts when they break down. Living heritage skills are passed on within the company and form an integral part of its know-how.

This ability to repair, adapt and extend the life of tools is at the heart of the Living Heritage label awarded to Azaïs-Polito. It recognises a rare combination of expertise, tradition, innovation and technical excellence.