Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/195987
CAVIAR PRODUCTION AND IMPORT/EXPORT Because Marky's made its name with caviar, the business has grown its involvement in the category in a variety of ways. "We've worked to teach our customers that Siberian sturgeon equals a certain level of quality rather than distract them with fancy names." Caviar farming. Increasing concerns about overfishing and product authenticity abroad have led Marky's to create an aquafarm here in the U.S. to have more control over its product. In 2003, the company began flying in beluga and sevruga sturgeon to populate Marky's Sturgeon AquaFarm in Bascom, Fla. Around the same time, the laws governing the import of caviar and sturgeon changed—making the import of beluga products illegal. Marky's was grandfathered in under previous regulations and able to move forward with its new business. "It was designated farm US-001," says Hlubb, referring to its U.S. Fish and Wildlife designation as the first of its kind. Less than 10 years later, the company started selling limited editions of its U.S. caviar; by 2014 it expects to begin harvesting upwards of two tons of caviar a year from its stock of sturgeon that includes beluga, sevruga, Russian osetra and sterlet (the latter currently retailing in Europe for $10,000 to $15,000 per kilogram). Conservation and fish repopulation. The company invests in international fish repopulation efforts, including helping countries of the Caspian Sea with scientific support and ideas. Caviar education. Its Caviar Certification program is the first of its kind in the industry. So far, Marky's has taught more than 700 students—retailers, chefs and consumers—the vast differences in caviar products, as well as how to store, serve and pair them. The program offers three levels of certification. Marky's has also worked to simplify the labeling of the caviar it sells. As Hlubb explains, "The naming structure of caviar had been very convoluted, and one of our largest initiatives is to remove extraneous naming. You'd see a Tsar Imperial caviar that was $100, and a Royal Classic for $150, but people didn't know what that meant. In the past three years, we've worked to teach customers that Siberian sturgeon equals a certain level of quality rather than distract them with fancy names." Because U.S. caviar production is still relatively small-scale, the bulk of Marky's offerings is imported primarily from Europe and Israel. The business sells all species of caviar and fish roe (including neon-colored Japanese style); the best seller is Russian Osetra Karat Caviar, which is farmed in Israel. CRUISE INDUSTRY MARKET A large part of Marky's business is providing specialty foods, such as Italian cheese, Spanish ham and, of course, caviar, to major cruise lines all over the world. In fact, the company has launched Marky's Caviar Bars on several Azamara cruises, with a plan to expand to others. "We are the largest gourmet provider to the cruise industry. But dealing with cruise lines is complex due to their bidding process as well as the complicated logistics to deliver highly perishable products to most major ports in the world on a weekly basis," notes Hlubb. "As an example, this weekend we are flying someone from Germany to Italy to hand-deliver caviar directly to the ship. "We are investing in the service aspect of our business," Hlubb asserts. "We want to make sure what we are selling is the best within its category. And if a customer wants something, and we can't find it, we will make it for them." "This weekend we are fying someone from Germany to Italy to hand-deliver caviar directly to the ship." Sturgeon at Sturgeon AquaFarm 44 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com Susan Segrest is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine.