Labeyrie Fine Foods founder Robert Labeyrie has died, sudouest.fr reported.
The 97-year-old French native was credited with helping to widen the popularity of smoked salmon and foie gras among other products across France, making his name synonymous with one of France's favorite delicacies.
Labeyrie, the son of a railway worker, founded the company after World War II.
Beginning in the 1960s, he built up the Labeyrie business empire into a more than €1 billion company ($1.1 billion) with brands such Delpierre, Blini, L'atelier Blini, Père Olive, Ovive and Comptoir sushi.
