We meet Luigi Colombo, a past as an entrepreneur in the textile sector, a success story that lasted until 2007, when he decided to go on a new professional adventure. He is a partner of Excellence Delights Scent of Italy
Mr. Colombo, how did this new professional journey start?
I have always been passionate about fishing, a passion that allowed me to know our territory better, taking long walks on the riverside and deep into the woods. By chance, I came across a fish farm near Lodi, which raised sturgeons to produce caviar.
I had always thought that caviar was only produced in countries very far from Italy, so I started to learn more and to understand the extraordinary characteristics of the sturgeon.
And were you instantly fascinated by it?
The sturgeon is an incredible fish that has never changed for the last 200 million years: it is a prehistoric fish. Fish farming has existed for many years, but it takes between 10 and 15 year to raise a sturgeon that’s ready to produce caviar, a fairly long time.
You produce Italian caviar: what is the consumer’s perception of it?
We have received very positive feedback, even from people who have always associated the idea of caviar with the Iranian one, known as Beluga, which is sold at well over 10 thousand euros per kilo.
We use the acipenser baeri,or white sturgeon, also called Siberian sturgeon, to produce our caviar – obtaining eggs with a 2.5 to 3 mm diameter in an amber-black color.
The name we have chosen, Excellence Black Caviar, is the perfect way to share the essence of our product with the consumers.
Are you aiming to become an excellence in the industry?
Of course, this is the goal we have set ourselves. Create excellence, not only focusing on the final product and the tastes of our consumers, but also starting from a particular method of raising sturgeons.
Can you go into more detail about this method?
The most important thing is the choice of our farm’s location: the spring waters of the Tormo natural park, considered as fresh drinking water by the local authorities.
We then use this drinking water to fill the tanks in which we raise our fish.
Every step of the production process is very accurate and artisanal; our operators have very specific skills and a high level of professionalism, which ensures that they can take care of the fish in the best possible way.
We feed our sturgeons selected products and we keep the water at a constant temperature, to respect their natural growth.
Do you also deal with the processing of your caviar?
Yes, of course. We employ only the best salters to process our caviar, following an ancient and traditional method called Malossol, which uses very little salt: this ensures the proper conservation of our caviar without altering its taste.
Our customers appreciate Excellence Black Caviar because of the purity of its taste and its excellent quality.
Which markets do you reach with Excellence Black Caviar?
Mainly Italy and Switzerland, with a project to expand in the United Arab Emirates.
