The Caviar Revolution How Chinese caviar conquered the world s taste buds

Mondo Gastronomy Updated on 2024-02-09

The history of caviar can be traced back to the time of Louis XIV of France, when the sturgeon-roe was often the finale of banquets. The reason for its high cost is that sturgeon cannot inhabit the European mainland, so sturgeon from the Black Sea region must be selected as a raw material. Sturgeon, on the other hand, grows slowly, takes 8 to 10 years, and dies once the eggs are retrieved, so caviar is even more expensive than it.

However, the era of caviar was seriously hampered during the US-Soviet struggle for hegemony. The Soviet Union tried to obtain foreign exchange through sturgeon farming and exporting caviar, but because of corruption and problems, the emergence of caviar smuggling chains. Selling caviar abroad, buying it back at market price, and finally selling it on the black market in the Soviet Union, this series of operations made the Soviet top brass furious and had to shut down the entire industry.

In the 80s of the last century, in order to restore the ecology and improve economic efficiency, China established an artificial sturgeon breeding base in Heilongjiang, and regularly stocked sturgeon into the river and sea. However, the biggest problem is the low survival rate of sturgeon, and there is an urgent need to solve this technical problem.

Around 2002, Wang Bin and other experts from the Ministry of Agriculture of China established Sturgeon Technology Co., Ltd. in Qiandao Lake, which is committed to tackling key problems in sturgeon breeding and seed extraction technology. The first issue is water temperature, which they have improved by deepening the cages to 15 metres and using automatic irrigation of groundwater and liquid nitrogen to cryogenic temperatures.

In addition to the survival rate, the egg retrieval technique is also key. Through years of research and development, Sturgeon Technology has made breakthroughs in genetic technology, cultivating sturgeon species with shorter growth cycles and more egg retrievals. At the same time, through a revolutionary extraction technology, they have been able to retrieve eggs without endangering the lives of sturgeons, thus significantly reducing production costs.

However, Sturgeon Technology's path has not been smooth. In 2006, Wang Bin traveled to France with a 400-kilogram caviar sample, but was met with a dismal market response. The French caviar chairman was dismissive of Chinese caviar, and the samples were barely sold.

Wang Bin was not discouraged, but hired caviar masters from Russia, Iran and other countries to upgrade the taste and quality control in an all-round way. After the improvement, Sturgeon Technology once again challenged the international market, and in 2011 successfully won the tender of Lufthansa and became its only officially designated caviar supplier.

This victory not only led to the recognition of Chinese caviar in the international market, but also innovated in packaging. Following the example of Moutai in the brewing industry, Sturgeon Technology marked the year of sturgeon on the packaging for the first time, and successfully promoted the scientific research strength of Sturgeon Technology in this unique way.

The successful counterattack of Chinese caviar has not only led to the prosperity of related industries, but also become one of the representatives of Chinese brands. The export volume of caviar increased after the United States launched the first war in 2018, becoming a beautiful business card of China's food industry.

On the international stage, Chinese caviar has made it to the G20 summit and dozens of Michelin-starred restaurants' list of premium meals**. In 2017, 22 of the 27 Michelin restaurants in France chose Chinese caviar, becoming a strong competitor to established brands such as France and Switzerland.

Even Japan, a country that has long been known for its high-quality seafood, has smelled a business opportunity for Chinese caviar. However, it took 10 years for Japan to achieve the first large-scale mass production of caviar in Japan, and the market competitiveness is still relatively weak.

The reason why China's caviar industry has been able to succeed is inseparable from the support of scientific and technological innovation. Through revolutionary breakthroughs in genetic technology and egg retrieval technology, the growth cycle of Chinese sturgeon has been greatly shortened, and the cost of egg retrieval has been effectively controlled. In addition, China's Sturgeon Technology has also innovated in packaging to enhance the recognition of the brand's scientific research hard power by indicating the year of the sturgeon.

Lufthansa passes a blind test (a test that does not allow participants to know the identity of the caviar ** merchant in order to ensure the objectivity and impartiality of the evaluation. This test method is usually used in consumer goods, food and other fields to reduce the subjective bias of the evaluator and ensure that the evaluation results are more objective and true. China Sturgeon Technology was selected as its only officially designated caviar supplier, enabling China Caviar to enter the high-end market of the global aviation industry. At the same time, Chinese caviar is also favored in the world's top dining occasions such as Michelin restaurants, and has become one of the representatives of Chinese brands on the international stage.

The rise of China's caviar industry has not only brought economic benefits, but also led to the prosperity of related industries. For example, the high-end fish farming industry in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province, has brought huge economic benefits and employment opportunities to the local area. At the same time, the popularity of caviar in China has also enabled more people to taste this high-end delicacy, further improving people's livelihood.

**10,000 Fans Incentive Plan

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