Caviar-loving diners may remember the name Tsar Nicoulai. You can find caviar from California farms. Min-Ni's On the tasting menu at the omakase counter in San Francisco; Brutø in Denver and New York Sip & GuzzleTop it off by slathering the ranch on top of the crispy chicken skin. Soon, Tsar Nicoulai's sparkling pearls will grace restaurant menus and home celebrations even more. Diners may associate caviar with Russia, but in fact, 80% of the country's caviar now comes from California. Starting this fall, most of that caviar will come from this single producer.
Sacramento may not have a reputation as a fine dining destination, but it's been producing these luxuries for 40 years. “The long-term goal is for Sacramento to achieve the recognition of Napa,” said Ali Bolourchi, president of Tsar Nicoulai. “What Napa is to wine, Sacramento will be to caviar.”
October Sir Nicolai acquired. Sterling Caviar He fell when he was accused. $23 million in debtTsar Nicoulai is officially the oldest and largest sturgeon farm in the country. Tsar Nicoulai estimates that three-quarters of all domestic caviar will come from their production facility after this purchase. The company has grown from managing one 40-acre farm to five properties totaling nearly 250 acres. Tsar Nicoulai of Bolourchi harvested 8.5 metric tons of caviar last year, and by combining operations with Sterling, aims to produce 25 to 30 metric tons of caviar per year over the next decade.
Tsar Nicoulai went from managing one 40-acre farm (pictured) to five estates totaling nearly 250 acres.Photo: Tsar Nicoulai/John Valenton
They plan to have separate labels for Tsar Nicoulai and Sterling for fans of their respective yards. But merging their operations means they'll be producing more caviar: restaurants across the country won't just be getting their caviar from a single producer; They will get more. “We want to help tell the story that you need to find delicious, passionate caviar elsewhere,” says Bolourchi. The company will clearly label their tins and jars so that caviar fans know how much they're consuming is from California.
California farmers began looking for sustainable alternatives to Russian wild caviar decades ago as they faced an overfishing crisis. Sterling Caviar is California white sturgeon; A native fish of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, it was first established in California in 1983, followed by Tsar Nicoulai in 1984.
Of course, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banned wild beluga caviar from the Caspian Sea in 2005 when the species was overfished to the point of extinction. Since then, the caviar industry has continued to grow in California, and both farms have changed owners. The local Bolourchi family took over Tsar Nicoulai in 2014, and New York real estate developer Eugene Fernandez bought Sterling Caviar in 2020. Today, they face an influx. Cheaper options from ChinaMost of them are produced with questionable agricultural practices.
Sturgeon cleaning station in Tsar Nicoulai.Photographed by Tsar Nicolai.