Christmas is almost here, and even though this year we will not be enjoying the traditional family supper, there is an ingredient that we could never go without during the festive period: caviar.
Always a symbol for luxury and splendor, caviar is one of those dishes that one would hardly associate with the vast plains of Northern Italy. However, the unexpected awaits just about thirty kilometers from Brescia.
The biggest producer of sustainable caviar in the world is not far from Lake Garda, in Calvisano, alongside the largest sturgeon breeding farm in Europe. In sixty hectares of pools of cold water, which flows from Mount Maniva across the farm’s grounds and is used for cooling plants in a nearby steel mill, sturgeons grow and breed – anadromous fish able to live both in salt and fresh water, which have been the stars of delicious royal feasts since the Renaissance.
The whole project is led by one woman alone: Carla Sora had a background in management, and embarked on this new adventure where she has found the right balance to make her product famous all over the world by combining premium quality with sustainability.
The respect of nature comes first: her breeding farm in Brescia takes care of monitoring water through the whole supply chain, with animal welfare as its main strength.
Every animal is taken care of and controlled, and follows diets carefully planned for six different species of caviar in fourteen qualities. Over 3,000 bred fish handled with the highest respect, and without any constraints or hormonal treatments to accelerate the production processes; females take 14 years to be ready.
Respect and attention to the products and production processes are the asset of this caviar from Brescia, but there is more: Carla Sora shares the commitment of Marco Gualtieri – the businessman who welcomed Barack Obama in Italy, in Milan – to reach specific goals demanded by the UN.
