U.S. Francis named the pink and yellow blend rose, ‘Madame Antoine Meilland,’ after his late mother, Claudia. In the U.S., the new rose was successfully propagated. It was later introduced on April 29, 1945, on the same day that Berlin surrendered to Allied forces. The rose was given the marketing name, 'Peace', in the U.S, to mark the end of the war. It was an immediate commercial success and sold extremely well worldwide. The tremendous success of the 'Peace' rose when it was first introduced, allowed the Meilland family to sell a major portion of their thriving business to Francisque Richardier, rose business owner and friend, so that Francis could focus solely on rose breeding. The Meilland nursery became the Meilland-Richardier company. Francis and Louisette bought property near Cap d'Antibes, his wife's birthplace and where the Paolino family still had a nursery. Francis died at the age of 46, of cancer, on June 15, 1958. Besides his world famous 'Peace Rose', Francis, developed over 150 rose varieties during his career. Since its introduction, there have over 40 million 'Peace' roses sold. It is considered the most popular selling rose of the 20th century. His work was continued by his wife, Louisette, son Alain and daughter Michelle Meilland Richardier. Meilland International Meilland Richardier grew into the large rose growing business, Meilland International. The company's headquarters are located in Le Luc en Provence, France. The company is owned entirely by the Meilland and Richardier families. Meilland International, also known as the House of Meilland in France, has three divisions: Meilland International, which creates new rose varieties; Meilland Richardier, which grows and sells commercial roses worldwide; and Selection New Plant (SNP), which finds and acquires innovative varieties of ornamental plants. The company employs over 800 people worldwide and owns rose trial gardens and test stations in France, the U.S. and Germany. The company's new roses are grown on 600 hectares (1500 acres) in France, Morocco, Spain, the Netherlands, and in California. Meilland International sells over 12 million rose plants each year. The company is managed by Alain Meilland and Michell Richardier Meilland, who are also rose breeders for Meilland International. The company's rose breeding program has been led by Jacques Mouchotte since 1978. Selected roses 'Golden State', Hybrid tea, (1938) 'Ampère', Hybrid tea, (1939) 'Alain', Floribunda (1940) 'Peace', Hybrid tea, (1942) 'Baccarat', Hybrid tea, (1956) 'Michele Meilland', Hybrid tea, (1948) 'Alsace', Hybrid tea,