A Chinese company Kaluga Queen, which produces its caviar about 300 miles southwest of Shanghai turns out 60 tons of caviar per year, making it the largest producer in the world, according to the company, Bloomberg reports.
Russia and Iran have long dominated the caviar export market, harvesting the delectable eggs from beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea. However overfishing there eventually resulted in including beluga sturgeon on the endangered species list.
In Kaluga Queen the fish are raised in the Zhejiang province of China, where the Huangshan Mountains supply the man-made Qiandao Lake with fresh, cold water. And the company takes multiple quality-control trips each year.
“Exports of Chinese caviar will boom because of sanctions and limited supplies from Iran and Russia. Many restaurateurs will buy Chinese caviar because of good quality, reasonable price, and ample stock,” says Shaun Rein, managing director for the China Market Research Group.
It’s now the caviar of choice for 21 of the 26 Michelin three-starred restaurants in Paris. Lufthansa offers it in first-class cabins.
The company’s sturgeon roe was even part of President Obama’s meal at the 2016 Group of 20 summit.