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AOC — PDO — Brittany
‘The Coco de Paimpol is Brittany in a white bean — a bean forgotten by sailors returning from the lands of South America, transformed into a treasure of the baie de Saint-Brieuc.’
Pulse from Brittany, PDO (AOP) since 1999.
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The Coco de Paimpol is not originally a Breton product — it is a child of South America adopted by maritime Brittany. Around 1928, a sailor from Paimpol, returning from a voyage to Argentina, brought back the seeds of this South American white bean variety. The bean adapted remarkably well to the soils and climate of the baie de Saint-Brieuc and the northern coast of the Côtes-d'Armor.
The marriage of Breton culinary tradition (fond of pulses for soups and pot-au-feu) with this new South American variety was instantaneous. Local farmers quickly realised that this bean possessed exceptional qualities: a remarkably fine skin and a tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture when cooked.
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During the Second World War, when the region faced a period of shortages, the Coco de Paimpol became an invaluable food resource for the people of Paimpol. Over the following decades, its cultivation expanded and the product gained increasing recognition on regional, then national markets.
The name ‘Coco de Paimpol’ became synonymous with quality and authenticity. Today it is enjoyed fresh in the pod during the peak season, or frozen after shelling to be savoured all year round.
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The decisive turning point came in 1998, when the Coco de Paimpol obtained its national Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) — the first fresh vegetable in France to be honoured in this way. A year later, in 1999, the appellation was recognised at European level as a PDO.
This official recognition confirmed 70 years of tradition and the excellence of a unique terroir: the northernmost part of Brittany, between the baie de Lannion and the baie de Saint-Brieuc, home to the 85 communes of Trégor-Goëlo that make up the PDO area. This distinction made the Coco de Paimpol the first French bean to benefit from the European PDO mark — a source of great pride for Brittany and for Paimpol.
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Since obtaining PDO status, the Coco de Paimpol has established itself as a major gastronomic emblem of Brittany. Every year in August, the Fête du Coco de Paimpol brings together harvesting and shelling competitions, tastings, and sales across the communes of the production area.
Paradoxically, this product, renowned as ‘traditionally Breton’, has only around seventy years of local history. It thus perfectly embodies the way Brittany has embraced and elevated global influences — a true love story between terroir and maritime cosmopolitanism.
Appearance
White to ivory bean, ovoid in shape, with very thin skin. Pale yellow pod, sometimes marbled with purple.
Aroma
Aromas of chestnut and hazelnut.
Taste
Sweet, non-floury flavour, with floral notes and hints of dried fruit.
Texture
Firm and melting in the mouth, holding its shape well when cooked.
Coco de Paimpol PDO is marketed exclusively as a fresh semi-dry vegetable — never as a dried bean, as complete drying causes it to lose the benefit of the appellation. It comes in two main forms:
(July–November): bean sold in its pale yellow pod marbled with purple, to be shelled before cooking. Requires no soaking and cooks quickly.
the bean already removed from its pod, ready to cook.
The production of Coco de Paimpol follows a strict protocol defined by the PDO specifications:
From 15 March, in open fields and in rows, on land within the appellation area (85 communes of Trégor-Goëlo).
100% by hand, pod by pod, from 1 July until November depending on the plot.
Coco de Paimpol is eaten fresh in the pod straight after harvesting, or frozen after shelling to keep all year round.
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Culinary pairings: Coco de Paimpol comes into its own in traditional Breton dishes:
Since: 1998
Area covered: 85 communes of Trégor-Goëlo, between the baie de Lannion and the baie de Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor)
Key requirements: Coco de Paimpol variety (white-flowering dwarf Phaseolus vulgaris); sowing from 15 March; 100% manual harvesting from 1 July; irrigation prohibited after pod formation; marketed exclusively as a fresh semi-dry vegetable, never as a dried bean
National recognition.
Since: 1999
Area covered: 85 communes of Trégor-Goëlo, between the baie de Lannion and the baie de Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor)
Key requirements: European registration of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, confirming the requirements of the national specifications.
Solidarity-based organic SCIC
Agricultural cooperative
Agri-food cooperative
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Request a listingAgricultural cooperative
Les Maraîchers d'Armor presents itself as the agricultural cooperative of market garden growers from Trégor-Goëlo, active since 1974 in the heart of the vegetable-growing basin of Côtes-d'Armor. It organises the collection of its members' produce, packages a portion of it, and handles marketing alongside other shippers in the sector, under the Prince de Bretagne brand.
Its growers cultivate cauliflower, tomatoes, artichokes, broccoli, strawberries, early potatoes, heritage vegetables and Coco de Paimpol PDO (AOP); around forty of them produce organically, a conversion initiated by the first growers in 1998. A horticultural section of around ten growers, brought together under the commercial entity Armor Végétal, complements the market gardening activity.
The cooperative also operates Coco & Co, a direct-sales shop for local produce.
| Address | Zone de Conditionnement, 22500 Paimpol, France |
| 02 96 20 83 30 | |
| standard@lesmaraichersdarmor.coop | |
| lesmaraichersdarmor.coop | |
| Facebook page | |
| @princedebretagne | |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 1998. |
