Coco de Paimpol PDO

Coco de Paimpol are part of the legume family. These white beans have been cultivated in Brittany since 1928, when a sailor brought seeds back from Latin America. They are now cultivated in the north-west district of Côtes-d´Armor. In France, Coco de Paimpol was the first fresh vegetable to obtain a designation of origin when, at the national level, it was awarded an AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) in 1998, followed in 1999 with the award of a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) at the European level.

Coco de Paimpol PDO are harvested entirely by hand and sold fresh in their pods. More recently, trays of ready-to-use or frozen beans have been offered.

Our 200 producers have widely recognised expertise and follow rigorous specifications from sowing in mid-March, to sales from mid-July to October (with a peak in production between late August and early October). The harvesting of Coco de Paimpol PDO perfectly illustrates the unique and demanding character of this vegetable. Every year, starting in August, thousands of pickers are keen to maintain the tradition of harvesting Coco de Paimpol using the so-called ‘plumage’ technique. This refers to the gestures used for plucking poultry placed on the knees, replaced here by armfuls of foliage from which it is necessary to manually separate the pods which are firmly attached to the stems.