Carl von Linné (1707 – 1778) was a famous naturalist who dedicated his life to classifying plants. Linné, along with Buffon, Jussieu, Daubenton, and Lacépède, were all involved in preparing for the Jardin des Plantes (the Royal Garden). Along with the plants, they incorporated cabinets and laboratories in the garden, all for the purpose of classifying every botanical species, both surviving and extinct.
In 1865, more than one hundred years after the death of Carl von Linné, a committee of French scientists succeeded in convincing the Paris authorities to rename the old Rue Saint-Victor to Rue Linné. Linné was the naturalist who gave the scientific name "Theobroma" to what is otherwise known as the cocoa tree. Chocolats Debauve & Gallais decided to honor his memory by preparing a bonbon which consisted of a ganache mixed with bits of cocoa beans from several different vintages, and named the bonbon Linné. Later, they presented it for the ceremony of honoring rue Linné.