by In a French caviar factory, workers meticulously arrange black sturgeon fish eggs using small pliers and a ruler. The eggs are measured to determine their classification, with those above a certain size considered premium. Once sorted and matured in small tins for several months, the fish roe will be sold in France and abroad for prices ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 euros per kilo. Caviar first arrived in France around a century ago, brought by Russian aristocrats who had fled their home country after the 1917 revolution.
The southwestern region of Aquitaine, naturally inhabited by sturgeons, began producing caviar in the 1920s and is currently home to four caviar farms, which account for 90% of all French production. After ten years of lobbying, these Aquitaine farms are eagerly awaiting the EU’s certification of origin in the coming year.
Geographical indications, according to the European Union, protect products against misuse or imitation of the registered name, providing customers with the assurance of their true origin. Laurent Dulau, managing director of the largest of Aquitaine’s farms in Saint-Fort-sur-Gironde, which produces 20 tons of fish roe annually, expressed their eagerness to receive the EU stamp of approval. They hope that this certification will help them stand out in a market currently dominated by China, where labeling practices are less transparent.
Dulau emphasized the importance of total traceability, including origin, environmental responsibility, sustainability, and the absence of genetically modified organisms or antibiotics in their caviar. Not following health and safety guidelines, including failing to identify the country of origin, resulted in the seizure and destruction of 17 kilos of caviar worth approximately 35,000 euros by French authorities last week, just before Christmas.
Near the sturgeon pools in Saint-Fort-sur-Gironde, employees carefully inspect the fish one by one, using an ultrasound to examine the females’ plump white bellies. When the eggs are deemed ready, they are sliced open. If the eggs are not yet large enough or already too mature, the fish is sent sliding back into the water through a slide. Nicolas Proust, the fish production manager, expressed his belief that the EU label of origin validates their working methods.
Dulau highlighted that the certificate of origin will help French producers compete with the massive amounts of inexpensive Chinese caviar flooding the market. While China alone produces 250 tons of caviar out of the 600 tons produced worldwide, France produces only 50 tons. Francoise Boisseaud, a buyer of French caviar who mostly sells it internationally, welcomed the new EU guarantee, emphasizing that France, as a small country, must rely on quality over quantity to succeed strategically in the caviar market.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
