Caviar d'Aquitaine

Caviar d'Aquitaine presents itself as the association bringing together the producers of the eponymous PGI (IGP), dedicated to promoting, developing, and protecting this savoir-faire. The caviar is claimed to be the fruit of over a century of artisanal craftsmanship balancing tradition and innovation, produced from the eggs of baerii sturgeon born and raised in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, yielding a 100% French product. It is produced by four makers — Sturia, L'Esturgeonnière, Caviar de France, and Prunier Manufacture — who, according to the association, are committed to environmental protection and animal welfare.

The farm presents itself as an artisanal caviar-rearing operation established on the Bassin d'Arcachon for 25 years. Named L'Esturgeonnière and located in Le Teich, Gironde, the estate is one of the few French farms to bring together hatchery, rearing, and processing facilities on a single site, from hatching to packaging the caviar. It produces two ranges of caviar d'Aquitaine as well as a fine food range showcasing sturgeon, and offers tours of the site by appointment.

Prunier Manufacture is one of four producers brought together within the Caviar d'Aquitaine PGI (IGP) association. Located in Montpon-Ménesterol, in Dordogne, on the banks of the Isle, a tributary of the Dordogne, the manufacture was founded by Laurent Sabeau — a biologist by training — and his wife Valérie, who set up one of the very first sturgeon farms in France there. It traces its lineage to Maison Prunier, founded in 1872 by Alfred Prunier in Paris, which in 1921 became the first producer of French caviar and then, as early as 1990, one of the world's very first sturgeon fish farms.

Today, Prunier markets its caviar d'Aquitaine under the Baerii and Osciètre ranges, with retail outlets in Paris and internationally.

Caviar de France is one of the four producers brought together within the Caviar d'Aquitaine PGI (IGP) association. Based at the Moulin de la Cassadote in Biganos, Gironde, at the entrance to the Bassin d'Arcachon, the farm claims the world's very first harvest of caviar from farmed sturgeon, achieved on this site in 1993 under the 'Caviar de Gironde' brand. It is run by Jean-Pascal Feray, a former professional basketball player who became the owner of Caviar de France (the commercial company) and La Truite argentière (the production company).

The farm rears its sturgeon on a 12-hectare site fed by a local river, and offers guided tours by appointment from April to the end of September. It markets four brands of caviar d'Aquitaine: Ebène, Diva, Caviar du Bassin, and N°3.

Sturia presents itself as the leading French caviar producer — farmer, selector and affineur — and rears its sturgeons (Baerii, Osciètre, Beluga) in Gironde and Charente-Maritime. The Sturgeon group, owner of the brand, dates its founding to 1995; its first Baerii sturgeons arrived at the Colombiers fish farm as early as 1986, its first caviars were produced in 1996, and its first tonne was produced in 1999 in a new workshop in Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge. Beyond caviar, Sturia states that it uses every part of each fish to make rillettes, taramas and a tableware range crafted from sturgeon leather.