Les Conservistes: A Love for Pâté in Gascony
Les Conservistes are three young friends from southwest France who have been producing artisanal pork pâté in the small town of Saint-Sever since 2017. Their work is based on a grandmother's recipe, using meat from heritage breeds and a fresh, modern take on the good old canned good.
Les Conservistes is a young French pâté producer based in Gascony, founded out of a love for tinned goods—"amour de pâté." Jean-Baptiste, Romain, and Yohan package their liver pâtés in simple, elegant tins, with each variety featuring its own name, color, and character. They take a deeply traditional French product and relaunch it for both gastronomy professionals and your own table at home. Preserving tradition while embracing modernity—a duality already captured in the name of the three "conservistes."
2017: A Love for Tinned Goods in Saint-Sever
It all started with two friends, a grandmother’s recipe, and the desire to give the classic French pâté a new face.
In 2017, Jean-Baptiste and Romain founded their brand, Les Conservistes, in the Landes town of Saint-Sever. It wasn’t just a love for the tin can, but above all a love for pâté—"amour de pâté"—that led the pair to produce small batches of homemade pâté. Jean-Baptiste brought his grandmother's pâté recipe along, complete with just the right level of seasoning and the perfect coarse texture.
Saint-Sever is located in the Landes, in the heart of Gascony, a corner of France that has always been famous for its fine cuisine—foie gras, Armagnac, and hearty pork. It is no wonder that this very place became the home of a producer filling small tins with these regional treasures. Here, where duck and pork, wine and chili are staples, great pâté has a long tradition.
In 2019, the pair brought their school friend Yohan on board, and they have been a trio ever since. Their name is a clever wordplay that perfectly captures their self-perception: "Les Conservistes" are both the *conservateurs* (preservers) who safeguard culinary heritage and the *progressistes* who carry it forward. It is precisely this tension you taste in every tin: the craftsmanship of days gone by in a contemporary guise.
Five Pâtés, Five Personalities
A single basic recipe has grown into five varieties, each with a resonant name and its own personality. From simple to festive, from mild to fiery, there is something for every palate.
It began with the Genèse, a pure liver pâté from Duroc pork seasoned with nothing but salt, pepper, and garlic. It is the creation story of the manufactory, the debut piece one keeps returning to. The Majesté, on the other hand, showcases the noble, finely marbled meat of the Prince Noir de Biscay without any adornment—hearty and naturally distinguished.
Things get fire-ier with the Audace, which draws its name and character from the fruity heat of Piment du Béarn. Those who prefer something festive can opt for the Divin with its heart of duck foie gras—creamy, velvety, and celebratory. Finally, the Éternel owes its warm, deep note to Armagnac, named after the "angel's share" that evaporates as the brandy ages.
They are all coarsely ground, hearty, and honest, each in its own way. Each variety also has its own signature color, so you know exactly which character awaits you just by looking at the tin. The best way to get to know the producer is to slowly taste your way through them, from the simple Genèse to the festive Divin. The names were chosen with care, each telling a piece of the story contained within the tin, from creation to boldness to eternity.
The Best Ingredients from Local Farms
Everything that goes into the tins at Les Conservistes comes from producers who have mastered their craft for generations.
The pork is supplied by Gilles Pecastaing, who raises the Prince Noir de Biscay breed outdoors at his Ferme la Bruyère, feeding them 100% natural grain from his own farm. According to legend, this old, hardy breed owes its name to the English heir to the throne, Edward of Woodstock—the Black Prince—who passed through Aquitaine in 1360, a history stretching back over 650 years.
The Armagnac for the Éternel comes from the Domaine de Laballe, where the Laudet family has been distilling in its 8th generation since 1820. The duck foie gras comes from the Larrieu family, who have been raising their ducks in the open air in the heart of the Chalosse region for five generations. And the fruity Piment du Béarn has been cultivated by the Malnou family for seven generations, with a view of the Pyrenees.
It is a collaboration based on respect, tradition, and a wealth of knowledge, as the three conservistes emphasize. Each partner contributes the best of their craft, and in the tin, it all comes together as a harmonious whole. Great pâté, they are convinced, starts with great ingredients.
Three Friends, Three Talents
Behind the tins are three personalities who complement each other perfectly.
Jean-Baptiste is the man for the recipes, the guardian of his grandmother's legacy; he oversees seasoning and texture. Romain, the creative one, gave the tins their face: simple, elegant, with a distinct color for each variety and a catchy name that makes you crave the contents before you even open it.
Yohan works on the future, forging contacts with chefs and retailers and bringing the small manufactory out into the world—into professional kitchens and your home. In this way, the three preserve the flavors of the past while giving them a fresh, young look, entirely in the spirit of their name.
Together, they manage a small but growing pâté universe that has long since found friends well beyond the Landes. What unites them is the conviction that a canned product does not have to be a cheap pantry staple, but rather a piece of indulgence that is carefully crafted and beautiful to behold. This is exactly how the good old pâté finds its way from the pantry shelf back to a beautifully set table without losing its down-to-earth appeal.
For Feasts, Appetizers, and Gifts
For those new to the brand, we recommend the pure Genèse; for special occasions, the festive Divin.
The Divin belongs on toasted brioche at Christmas, while the Audace is perfect for an aperitif paired with a robust red wine from the Southwest. We particularly enjoy the Éternel with a piece of aged cheese when autumn taps on the window outside. A charcuterie board should include a few cornichons, good ham, and, if you like, a second French pâté, such as the game pâtés from Beauharnais.
A beautifully curated tin also makes a great small gift—for hosts, for connoisseurs, or for yourself. Three or four varieties in a box, along with a baguette and a jar of cornichons, and you have a gift that any gourmet will appreciate.
Take the pâté out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving; this allows each variety to best unfold its aroma when spread on fresh bread, accompanied by a glass of red wine. All varieties are available for you to browse in our Pâtés and Rillettes section. Taste your way through the surprising pâté universe of Les Conservistes. Bon Appétit.
