Petrossian

Petrossian is a Paris based caviar house that says it sources caviar from partner farms in several countries. The company describes itself as family owned.

Petrossian at a glance

• Founded: 1920, according to the company's history. ¹
• Ownership: Family owned, according to Petrossian. ¹
• French entities: PETROSSIAN S.A., SIREN 652 048 281; SOC CAVIAR PETROSSIAN, SIREN 652 050 329. ^3,4,15
• Headquarters: Paris, with both French companies registered on boulevard de La Tour Maubourg. ^3,4
• Roles: Sourcing, selection, maturation, repacking, wholesale, retail and hospitality. ^4,7,9,10,14
• Sourcing countries: France, Bulgaria, Italy and Poland, according to the French company; Israel, China, Madagascar and Uruguay are also named by its American website. ^7,8
• Registered caviar facilities: Two Paris entries and one Long Island City entry in the CITES register, checked November 2026 and detailed below. ^9,10
• Species: Documented examples of trade names and their species appear below. ¹³

Who owns Petrossian?

The most useful distinction is between a family business, a holding company and an operating company. PETROSSIAN S.A., registered under SIREN 652 048 281, is distinct from SOC CAVIAR PETROSSIAN, registered under SIREN 652 050 329, which identifies itself in the French restaurant website's legal notice as CAVIAR PETROSSIAN. A director's name or a family's involvement does not establish that person's shareholding, and these two French registrations should not be merged.

One directly documented control relationship is in Britain. Companies House records PETROSSIAN SOUTH KENSINGTON LTD, company number 14009448, as active and incorporated on 29 March 2022. Its register of persons with significant control names Petrossian Sa as holding at least 75% of shares and voting rights, with the notification dated 26 July 2022. That establishes control of this British company, not the ultimate shareholders of the French group.

In the United States, the CITES register identifies Petrossian Inc. as a registered caviar operation, and the American website names PETROSSIAN INC. in its returns instructions. Petrossian Inc. is the American company named in these records. For comparing such evidence across houses, the caviar houses and producers hub separates a brand's reputation from the businesses behind it.

A short founding history

Petrossian dates its founding to 1920, when brothers Melkoum and Mouchegh Petrossian established the Paris business, a date and family origin also recorded in a 2019 WIPO domain-name decision. The fuller story belongs in the Petrossian brothers and caviar in 1920s Paris, rather than being used as evidence of today's ownership.

Where the caviar comes from

Petrossian's French FAQ describes a network of partner farms, naming France, Bulgaria, Italy and Poland, with further sourcing in South America, Asia and Africa. Its American FAQ additionally names Israel, China, Madagascar and Uruguay. These are company statements about its sourcing network, not proof that every variety comes from every listed country, or that the company owns the farms.

Its published account supports describing Petrossian as a sourcing and maturation house, rather than simply a French sturgeon farm. Petrossian says caviar is brought from the farms to workshops in Paris, New York and London, where selection and maturation continue. In this context, producing a finished branded caviar includes work after egg collection; it should not automatically be read as breeding fish or harvesting their roe.

For a connoisseur, the useful provenance question is therefore about the particular batch: which species, which country of origin, and which business handled it afterwards? A Paris identity alone cannot answer those questions. The French caviar guide provides the wider national context without treating every French house's entire range as French-farmed.

Registered sites and what they establish

The CITES register records the following Petrossian entries in France and the United States. All three are marked for export and for processing/repackaging; the combined activity column covers both functions, while the French R suffixes identify repackaging plants under CITES guidelines.

These are registered caviar-operation entries, not a list of farms or a certification of brand quality. According to CITES guidelines, the French R suffixes identify repackaging plants, not farms. The practical distinction is explained in how to check a caviar producer on the CITES register.

The American website gives a different returns address, 11-36 46th Road, Long Island City, from the address in the CITES register. Petrossian also identifies an Angers smokehouse for its smoked fish, which is a different activity from producing sturgeon roe.

Petrossian names and the fish behind them

Petrossian's educational pages identify several caviars by species, alongside house names and selection terms. The following mappings are documented examples, not a complete catalogue, and the scientific spellings below follow the site's CITES-based naming convention.

CITES hybrid codes distinguish the male and female parent species.

Royal, Tsar Impérial and Special Reserve are Petrossian selection names, not additional fish species. Its American FAQ describes grading after monitoring individual batches during maturation. Those names communicate the house's own classification; they are not a substitute for the species and origin information needed to compare two tins.

What Petrossian is known for

The house's documented identity combines an established Paris retail presence with specialist selection and maturation. Petrossian says its experts assess eggs and monitor their development before assigning a finished selection. Its production article describes maturation in the original tins and individual tasting before release; these are the company's account of its methods, not independent comparative tasting results.

The business also extends beyond supplying sealed tins. The French restaurant website documents its Paris restaurant, while the American locations page identifies a West Hollywood restaurant and boutique; the active South Kensington company records a British specialist food-retail business. These operations explain the house's hospitality presence without making every venue a caviar processing plant. For the separate dining subject, see caviar bars in Paris.

Read origin separately from the house name

A Petrossian tin should be read as two different kinds of information: the house's identity and the batch's provenance. The sourcing statements and registered facilities above show why a French brand name or Paris repacking address cannot establish French-farmed origin. Compare the stated country of origin with the processing or repacking details, and keep them separate when recording the tin.

The sourcing statements and registered facilities above show why a French brand name or Paris repacking address cannot establish French-farmed origin.

The CITES labelling system identifies the species, source and country of origin, alongside the registered operation. On repacked caviar, the country of origin and the repacker's details are separate. A CITES label supports traceability but does not prove the contents of a tin. See country of origin versus country of repacking for the distinction.