Astrea is the name of the Greek goddess of purity and precision, which are the qualities we strive for when sourcing our caviar. Our farm is located 6,500ft above sea level in the Yunnan Province of China. The pure spring water, stable year-round temperature and lack of pollution ensure the best growing condition for our sturgeons. At such high altitude our fish grow slower, and as a result, lay eggs that are larger in size and more complex in flavor.

Our sturgeons range in age from 10 to over 25 years old. For reference, most caviar is produced from fish that are anywhere from five to eight years old. When they reach maturity, we don’t extract the eggs until the third roe production cycle. The fish absorb the first two roe cycles, which gives them additional nutrition to produce bigger and more flavorful eggs in the third cycle.

Before extraction, we transfer the fish into low-temperature fish ponds with controlled conditions of 8% salt content and a temperature of 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit. There they reside for two months to mimic deep sea conditions. Once extracted, the eggs are cleaned and cured with less than 3% salt content before going through an extended aging period of one to four months. These practices add complexity and depth to our caviar’s flavor.

Our sturgeons fish are grown in natural spring water. We never treat them with antibiotics, instead, we use proprietary natural healing organic herbs to boost immunity. We do not use borax as a preservative, nor do we use food coloring to enhance the color of our eggs. What you see and taste is all natural, a product of carefully raised, mature sturgeon combined with a specialized aging process we have perfected. Similar to wine making, the process of curing and aging caviar is a closely guarded trade secret, an art form unto itself.

Our in-house specialist has over 35 years of experience, which is why we are able to bring out the richest, most complex flavors from our carefully extracted roe. Our method may be meticulous and laborious, but the result is caviar that is of the highest caliber.