What Makes Caviar so Expensive?

The species of sturgeon can greatly affect the caviar price. Though there are a variety of sturgeon fish to harvest caviar from, they are highly endangered. The breeding process is extensive, with most sturgeon needing at least 7 years before they can produce roe. The laborious process & short shelf-life, combined with high demand & low supply, makes caviar one of the most expensive foods in the world. Beluga caviar, from the beluga sturgeon, can sell within the price range of $7000 - $10,000 per kilogram & sometimes even more! Although there are certain types of ‘caviar’ that can sell for as low as $120 per kilogram, they are incomparable to varieties such as the Beluga, Osietra and Baeri Signature varieties.

Farming Caviar

Depending on the species, a sturgeon can take anywhere from 5 – 18 years to mature & produce caviar. Farming caviar is a patient game! The sturgeon only produce roe (sturgeon eggs), every 2 to 4 years, making it crucial to harvest at the optimal time. Once the sturgeon are at this stage up to 18% of their body weight can be made up by roe. Additionally, up to 97% of the entire sturgeon can be used in different dishes.

Preparing Caviar

Once the caviar has been removed from the sturgeon - a process performed entirely by hand - it is washed & salted. The caviar is inspected and weighed, graded to the most exacting standards & only the finest caviar is placed into caviar tins to age. After a certain period of time - depending on the sturgeon species - the caviar is placed into smaller caviar tins & shipped around the world to be sold to consumers, restaurants & you!