In the early 20th century, meat products from the Russian Empire were highly regarded in Europe and received awards at international exhibitions. Notable success in this field was achieved by Nikolai Grigorievich Grigoriev, who founded the largest sausage and grocery factory in the country. He came from a peasant family and went to work in Moscow at a young age, initially selling pies on the street. Later, Grigoriev opened a small meat shop on Okhotny Ryad. Through perseverance and business acumen, he accumulated capital and purchased an abandoned sausage workshop on Yakimanka.

In 1878, Grigoriev began a complete reconstruction of it, buying equipment and developing his own recipes for sausages and wieners. Success came quickly, and customers appreciated the taste of his products. The entrepreneur constantly expanded the range, adding ham, boiled and smoked products, Little Russian lard, stuffed turkeys, ducks, geese, piglets, and 11 types of sausages. By the early 20th century, Grigoriev had opened six large stores of his Trading House in Moscow, and his factory became the largest in the Russian Empire. In 1900, at the World Exhibition in Paris, Grigoriev's products received their first international award, a gold medal.

Grigoriev cared for his employees, buying houses for them near the factory. He also donated funds for the development of his native village, where he built a school and a medical point. However, everything changed in 1918: the factory was nationalized, and Nikolai Grigorievich was exiled to a village near Uglich. His parents' house was taken over by the collective farm, and he had to live in a bathhouse. Local peasants, remembering his kindness, brought him food, but soon this was prohibited, and a patrol was stationed by the bathhouse. One of the richest men in Russia found himself in poverty and was forced to beg for alms. Grigoriev died at the age of 78, left without means of existence.