Frutigen – Caviar from the Swiss Alps

When I visited the project in April 2007 I was amazed by the spirit and vision of this project. But back then it was a mere spirit because of the couple of little tanks and the mayor construction sight one could see.

At first glance I liked the idea of this, using warm water in order to breed sturgeons. But on the second thought, however, this raises some questions regarding its main objective. Is it about minimizing collateral damage by not having to cool down the warm water anymore, or is it about creating high quality caviar?

Sure is, caviarists spend money over quality.

Guaranteeing 20 degrees of water temperature all year round may be interesting for the investors. Temperatures at this level speeds up the growth of the sturgeons. That’s true. And somebody wants to be sure to get his 30Mio. CHF investment back in time.

Sturgeons interest might not always coincide with the connoisseurs interest who enjoy the complex taste that caviar can reach under the right conditions.

Sturgeons have a similarity with pinot noir grapes: they prefer high temperature ranges. Their ’fight’ against nature (temperatures) is actually their nature. They need ‘rough’ winters so that they can not only grow but also mature. A complex taste of caviar requests complex, challenging life conditions for the females.

That is why the only goal of sturgeon breeders around the world should be to imitate their natural habitats as good and profound as possible – if they seek for high quality caviar.

20 degrees during 12 months might give you a stable quality – sure. But it might also have a boring, undistinctive taste. But than again, a mass product for the masses (’Coop’) with a price tag of 2000CHF per kilo seems to be appropriate all the way.

For all the others, get the real thing.

In any case, I wish my best luck for this visionary undertaking.

Related articles:

The Tropenhaus Frutigen Project

Article on World Radio Switzerland