The founder and president of Chilean food giant and AquaChile parent company Agrosuper has died.
Chairman Gonzalo Vial Vial passed away Tuesday at age 88, according to a company statement.
"He will be remembered for his humility, exemplary leadership and entrepreneurial spirit, characteristics with which he formed Agrosuper S.A. since its beginnings and marked the different generations that have worked in it and in AquaChile," wrote Agrosuper Vice Chairman and AquaChile President Jose Guzman Vial in a separate notice to the Santiago Stock Exchange.
Vial founded Agrosuper, one of Chile's largest food manufacturing companies, in 1955.
The company bought AquaChile, one of the country's biggest salmon farmers and processors, in 2018 in a deal worth $850 million (€736 million). The company now accounts for an estimated 50 percent of Chile's farmed salmon exports.
"His leadership and vision of the future led him to create a company based on solid principles and values, with a marked seal of innovation and excellence, rooted in the regions of Chile," wrote the company Tuesday.
"Throughout his life he focused on delivering the highest quality food to all Chilean families with the support of his collaborators and so many entrepreneurs and suppliers who grew up with Agrosuper.
"We accompany the family in this difficult time," read the statement, adding that his funeral will be held privately.
In a separate message on LinkedIn, AquaChile CEO Sady Delgado wrote that Vial had "left an indelible mark on all of us who were lucky enough to know and work with him."
"He was a businessman committed to the regionalization of our country and the future of Chileans, building great companies that changed the opportunities and lives of many people."
