Post date: Dec 05, 2013 4:14:33 PM
A French caviar maker offers the largest box of caviar in the world, a 10 kg container entitled "The Terrible Ivan," with a price available only by request but a calculated to be around 100,000 euros.
PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 4, 2013) (REUTERS) - For those craving caviar this holiday season, the famed caviar merchant Petrossian is now offering its clientele more than just a taste of the luxury good.
The French company has created what it says is the largest box of caviar in the world, a 10kg container.The mastermind behind this enormous tin, bearing the iconic teal Petrossian label, is second generation Petrossian owner Armen Petrossian.
"I've created three boxes, one box of 10 kg that I call 'The Terrible Ivan', a 5 kg box that I call 'Catherine the Great,' and a 2.5 kg box that I call 'The Fair Alexander.' Obviously, they are a reference to the Tsars of Russia, to the splendour of empiricalRussia, and the extraordinary grandeur of that era," Mr. Petrossian said.
The price of 10 kg of this luxury good is disclosed by Mr. Petrossian only upon request. However, with 50g Petrossian caviar tins ranging from 90 to 490 euros, 'The Terrible Ivan' is calculated to cost towards 100,000 euros.
For Petrossian however, 'The Terrible Ivan' is more than just 10kg of sturgeon eggs.
"This exceptional box will interest anyone who wants to host a beautiful reception, to do something impressive, something worthy of the Arabian nights. So, it's a bit of a fairy tale, we're telling a story. But at the same time, we wanted something that did not exist until now, something that would be truly non-standard in this box. So, that's the idea, and I already have reservations, a sale for a client in the Middle East, and we'll deliver the box to him next week, by private jet," Petrossian said.
He told Reuters Television there had already been requests for the 10 kg tin from clients around the globe. Next week, the company will deliver "The Terrible Ivan" to a client in the Middle East, by private jet on the day of the event.
The company, whose sales make up 15% of the world's caviar market, sees a 30% increase in sales during the Christmas season.
Though Petrossian introduced the 10 kg caviar tin in time for the December holiday, he estimated the smaller, family sized containers will make up a larger percentage of the company's holiday sales than 'The Terrible Ivan.'
With shops across the world, including New York and Los Angeles, the Petrossian brand is internationally renown for its caviar and other luxury products.
Petrossian said the success of his firm was due to the savoir-faire of the craftsmen employed by the company.
"The secret of Petrossian is that memory, this work, that memory and work that we've been doing for a very long time, 93 years now, and it's that savoir-faire, passed down from generation to generation, and there are very few people who have this knowledge. It takes time to give shape to a craftsman's knack, a lot of time and a lot of efforts. To train the nose of a perfumer, it's the same. But, to train a palate, it's even more difficult because there is nothing to rely on, everything is in the memory, its only the memory that works," Petrossian said.
The Petrossian family, founded by Armen Petrossian's father and uncle, was the first to bring caviar to France, opening a boutique in 1920 in the heart of Paris's chic 7th arrondissement.
The vividly painted teal and red Petrossian store has held shop there ever since.