Made in China and Proud of It
Meet Caviar Colony, a new Singapore caviar house with a mission to make-over caviar into an affordable luxury
Caviar Colony, a new Singapore caviar house with a mission to makeover caviar into an affordable luxury
Caviar is one of those luxury goods for which we tend to harbour very strong and specific associations. Intuitively, it would seem like quality caviar surely must come from Russia, or at least the surrounding Black Sea and Caspian Sea.
As a Singapore-founded brand that produces its caviar in Yunnan, China, Caviar Colony isn’t just unorthodox – it sounds almost foolhardy. After all, neither Singapore nor China are common – or flattering, given consumers’ skepticism about China food products – associations for caviar. Yet according to co-founders Benjamin Goh and Celine Tan, it’s all very strategic.
Restaurants and caviar houses don’t commonly highlight this fact, but China is now the world’s largest caviar producer. Reasonable pricing aside, Chinese caviar is also highly regarded for its consistency and superior quality, with numerous Michelin-starred restaurants around the world serving it. Headquartering Caviar Colony in Singapore is also about showing quality assurance, since the city-state is famous for its stringent quality standards.
Caviar Colony may have just made its debut, but it’s backed by years of experience. Mr Goh has been in the caviar line for about five years now – he’d started as an investor in a China caviar farm, but has since been actively familiarising himself in all aspects of the trade, from breeding to harvesting and processing. While tight-lipped on specifics, Mr Goh shares that this farm, also the producer for Caviar Colony, has been supplying to big-name caviar houses since 2013.
Much of the farm’s success – and in turn, Caviar Colony’s competitive edge – lies in its sophisticated, responsible aquaculture practices. The sturgeons are bred in pristine spring water, with an idyllic backdrop of mountain ranges and lush forests. The sturgeons are raised on organic, antibiotics-free feed, which contains a nourishing, proprietary blend of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs.
Mr Goh shares, “We studied how much proteins and fat each species requires, and formulated our feed accordingly. That’s one key reason why Caviar Colony is so competitive – we get twice as much yield as others because we know how to take care of our fish.”
Most species mature around age 8
– this drawn-out investment period is also why caviar is so exorbitantly priced. Roe from older sturgeons tend to be bigger with more pronounced flavours so at Caviar Colony, the fish are not harvested at their very first pregnancy cycle, but bred till at least 10 years (14 years for Kaluga).
The harvested caviar is then cured using mineral salt from Portugal, and aged for two months. Caviar Colony salts theirs sparingly – about 3.2 to
3.5 per cent, significantly lower than the industry standard of five to eight. The low salt content allows the true flavours of the caviar to be appreciated; it’s also a mark of confidence – that the caviar is so fine it does not need to be masked.
Caviar Colony offers a collection of five products from different sturgeon species. Prices for a 10g tin start from $50 for Amur or Kaluga hybrid, and stretches up to $110 for Kaluga – widely considered to be the closest option to the elusive Beluga. No doubt, these are still extravagant prices, but if you’re shopping for top-grade caviar, Caviar Colony offers excellent value. Mr Goh is quick to assert that even their entrylevel caviar is what’s pegged as a midrange product at other caviar houses. “By offering world-class caviar that is genuinely priced, this luxury is made more accessible and can be enjoyed more frequently,” he adds.
For first-timers, Mr Goh recommends the Kaluga hybrid for its subtle taste profile and pleasant creaminess. The Russian is proving to be their best-seller, with an intensely buttery aroma and gentle brininess. Then there’s the Caviar Colony-exclusive Russian hybrid, an Osetra-siberian that Mr Goh proudly shares was naturally conceived. It took a 12-year gamble but when Mr Goh finally tried it, he was blown away by its “sweetness distinctive of Japanese Kyoho grapes.”