Founded 1920 | ||
Petrossian is a French business enterprise established in 1920 with a wide variety of products, but mainly fine spices, caviar and smoked mainly fish-based products. It was founded by two Armenian refugees, Melkoum and Mouchegh Petrossian. The business kept close cooperation with the Soviet Union and Mouchegh had married Irène Mailoff, daughter of a Russian family and marketer of refined caviar in the 19th century. The relation with the Soviet authorities and businesses solidified with the 1930s. After the death of Melkoum Petrossian in 1972 and Mouchegh Petrossian in 1981, the son of the latter Armen Petrossian took the direction of the family business in 1991.
Petrossian has a showcase historic shop in Paris, at 18 boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg, adjoining a number of other fashionable enterprises, boutiques and restaurants the company runs in Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
By the 1990s, Petrossian continued to hold a remarkable hold of the caviar market and other Russian specialties like Chatka crabs and vodkas. As the trade of caviar became more competitive, the enterprise branched out to diversify with other lines of smoked fish, anguilles, herring, scallops (particularly the French Coquille Saint-Jacques) and Chinese dim sums.
In 2001, the enterprise left its historic manufacturing plant in Pierrefitte-sur-Seine moving to Angers for wider operations. It also expanded its list of products also marketing foie gras, chocolates, truffles, candies, pâtés and cheeses and various bakeries. In 2011, Petrossian was still a leading international caviar brand with a total sales of 40 million euros and estimated at 20% of the world caviar market.