Marcel Senchou and the Ketchup from Southwest France
Marcel Senchou is a French brand of ketchup, sauces, and spices from Southwest France. The recipes date back to the family-owned cannery founded in 1891; today, they are slow-cooked by the Compagnie des Pyrénées in the Ariège region – 100 percent natural, vegan, and gluten-free.
Marcel Senchou stands for honest, slow-cooked ketchup from Southwest France. Behind the name lies a history spanning over 130 years: a family from Casseneuil, a famous ketchup recipe, and a workshop in the Ariège that is bringing these recipes back to life today. No industrial ketchup from a tap, but rather craftsmanship made with quality ingredients and a lot of patience.
The story begins in 1891 in Casseneuil
It all began in 1891, when Marcel Senchou founded a cannery for fine fruits and vegetables in the southwestern French town of Casseneuil. The small town on the Lot River is located in the heart of one of France's most fertile fruit-growing regions – ideal for a company that puts the harvest into jars and cans.
In 1925, his sons Jacques and Jean took over the business, continuing it just as Marcel had established it. As "Senchou Frères" (Senchou Brothers), they continued to run the factory, bottling jams and preserving fruits in syrup – during a time when the entire canning industry was flourishing in Southwest France.
How vibrant this era was is still evidenced today by a book titled "Souvenirs en conserve," which preserves the memory of the city's canning houses. Above all, however, a ketchup recipe remains in memory, one that became known far beyond the region.
Over the decades, the knowledge was passed down. In 1989, Senchou merged with La Patelière, a house for fine baking ingredients. The old ketchup recipes were almost forgotten – until they were brought out again many years later, just as Jacques and Jean had once preserved them.
Brought back to life in the Ariège since 2018
In 2018, the Compagnie des Pyrénées brought the old Senchou recipe back to life and reintroduced the brand under its original name.
The cooking takes place in the heart of the Ariège, in Lorp-Sentaraille at the foot of the Pyrenees, where the Compagnie des Pyrénées has been producing jams, coulis, and now Senchou ketchup for over 25 years. In a small workshop of about ten people, the sauces are created in manageable quantities, not on an assembly line.
The heart of the process is the slow cooking. Ripe tomatoes simmer together with onions, red bell peppers, and a fine spice blend in open kettles – "mijotées," as the French say. The longer they cook, the deeper their aroma becomes and the less else is needed; a little sugar is enough for sweetness, a dash of vinegar for freshness.
The ingredients are sourced as locally as possible: crushed tomatoes from the Southwest, carrots from the Landes, onions, and select spices. None of these have to travel far, and you can taste that someone here takes the origin seriously and not just the quantity.
The old family name has thus once again become a vibrant, modern brand: Marcel Senchou, the ketchup from the Southwest that has made it into regional radio broadcasts and kitchens around the world.
Two ketchups on our shelves
With us, you will find two varieties from Senchou, both in 360 ml glass bottles and both mild rather than loud.
The ketchup from French tomatoes is the classic: ripe tomatoes, slow-cooked, without heat – the honest taste of childhood that even the little ones love. The ketchup with Piment d'Espelette adds a hint of the mild Basque chili on top, fruity and with a gentle, lingering warmth.
As different as the two are, they complement each other well: one mild and familiar, the other with a little kick. They are both fruity, savory, and natural, and you can tell in both that the tomato plays the starring role.
The French range also includes surprising variations such as beetroot and carrot ketchup, as well as a BBQ sauce, spices, and practical squeeze bottles for quick access. You can find the entire range of varieties and brands in our ketchup selection.
Whether mild or with Espelette, whether in the classic glass or as a squeeze for your barbecue party – Senchou makes it easy to find your favorite ketchup. And because the two varieties are so distinct, it is worth placing them side-by-side and comparing them at your leisure.
100 percent natural, vegan, gluten-free
What distinguishes Marcel Senchou is stated on every label: 100 percent natural, made from regionally grown vegetables, without thickeners, without preservatives or artificial colors. All ketchups are vegan and gluten-free.
They are bottled in glass made from 82 percent recycled material, cooked in IFS and ECOCERT certified workshops. What shouldn't be inside stays out – and you can taste that, because the tomato is in the foreground, not the sugar. A short, clear ingredient list is the standard here.
"At Marcel Senchou, everything revolves around one word: taste," is how the brand itself sums it up. It is precisely this standard that carries every bottle, from the selection of ingredients to the patient cooking to the recycled glass bottle.
The fact that such a small manufacturer is IFS and ECOCERT certified says a lot about their standards – they work cleanly and in a controlled manner here, rather than just telling a pretty story. And the glass bottle can be wonderfully reused after the last drop of ketchup is gone.
From french fries to barbecue marinade
Wherever standard ketchup would usually land, a Senchou simply brings more joy – with crispy oven fries, in a homemade burger, and with everything that comes off the grill during barbecue season.
Children love to grab the mild classic, while the Espelette ketchup with its gentle heat makes adults happy at the grill – especially with Basque dishes like piperade or grilled chicken. By the way, both make a lovely little gift for anyone who appreciates good taste.
If you prefer it bolder and spicier, you will find what you are looking for in other artisanal sauces: the savory Ketchup zum Heiligen Stein or, for true chili lovers, the Old-Texas BBQ sauces.
In the kitchen, a good ketchup can do more than just stand on the side: it adds fruitiness to a quick curry sauce, rounds off a Bolognese, or becomes a quick barbecue marinade with a little mustard and honey. This turns an everyday product into a small all-rounder for the whole week.
Try the different varieties for yourself – a good ketchup is worth more than one generally assumes. Hats off.
