It was however in 1820 that the people of Boulogne discovered fishing in Scotland. Herring boats set sail at the beginning of July, bound for the Scottish coasts, laden with salt.

At the beginning of the 19th century, there were around fifty salting workshops in Boulogne sur mer. They were often nothing more than cellars, or shady and damp back yards cluttered with tanks

During the second half of the 19th century, herring fishing experienced a substantial growth with the arrival of the railway offering a wider trade of fresh fish.

In 1970, company founder Jean Claude David began his salting and curing activity under his own name, in a small traditional workshop on the industrial zone of the port of Boulogne sur mer, known as “Capécure”. His production was reserved to the retail trade, large traditional Parisian brasseries and the wholesalers who supplied them.

At first, Jean Claude David produced his labels featuring the coat of arms and the swan, emblem of Boulogne. He added a central character to the label; a female sailor wearing the local traditional hat.