In the world of premium caviar, provenance is everything. The flavour in your tin, the assurance of authenticity, the ethical standing of your purchase — all of it traces back to a single question: where did this caviar actually come from, and who produced it?

At London Caviar House, the answer is straightforward: our caviar comes from Aquatir, one of Eastern Europe’s most respected and established sturgeon aquaculture operations. As the official UK distributor of Aquatir, we are able to offer CITES-certified black caviar sourced directly from the farm — no intermediaries, no uncertainty about origin, no question of authenticity. This page tells the story of Aquatir, how the farm operates, and why its production philosophy is reflected in every tin of caviar we sell.

The Farm

What Is Aquatir?

Aquatir is a professional sturgeon aquaculture complex specialising in the sustainable farming and caviar production of premium sturgeon species. The operation combines decades of ichthyological expertise with modern aquaculture technology, producing caviar that meets the most demanding international standards of quality, traceability and legal compliance.

Aquatir holds full CITES certification — the internationally recognised legal framework governing the trade of sturgeon and caviar — and operates under the regulatory oversight of the relevant national and international wildlife protection authorities. Every tin of caviar that leaves the Aquatir facility carries documentation that traces it precisely: the species, the individual fish, the harvest date, the weight and the farm of origin.

This level of traceability is not common in the caviar industry. It is one of the primary reasons London Caviar House chose Aquatir as its partner, and it is the foundation of the trust we ask our customers to place in every product we sell.

Our Range

The Aquatir Caviar Range

Aquatir specialises in four sturgeon species, each producing a distinct caviar with its own character, history and culinary standing. All four are available at London Caviar House in both our Classic range (no-kill milking method) and our Premium range (traditional harvest).

Beluga (Huso Huso) — the most prestigious caviar in the world. The Beluga sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish on earth, capable of living over a century. Its eggs are the largest of all commercial caviar: pale grey, delicate and producing the long, creamy, lingering finish that has made Beluga the defining symbol of culinary luxury for three centuries.

Russian Sturgeon / Osetra (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) — medium-sized, firm pearls with a complex, nutty flavour and a golden-grey colour. Osetra is the most consistently popular black caviar among serious buyers: it offers genuine complexity and distinction at a more accessible price than Beluga, and it rewards repeated tasting in a way that reveals new notes with each encounter.

Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) — the smallest of Aquatir’s sturgeon species, producing petite, dark, exquisitely refined pearls. Sterlet was historically the exclusive caviar of the Russian imperial court — Tsars Peter the Great and Nicholas II were both documented enthusiasts — and its subtle, aristocratic character still sets it apart from the more assertive flavour profiles of Beluga and Osetra.

Bester — a purposefully bred Beluga-Sterlet hybrid, developed by Russian aquaculture scientists to combine the large egg size and prestige of Beluga with the finesse and rapid maturation of Sterlet. The result is a remarkable caviar that matures faster than pure Beluga, offers a distinctly complex flavour profile that sits between its two parent species, and represents one of the most interesting varieties in the contemporary black caviar market.

Farming Philosophy

How Aquatir Raises Its Sturgeon

Sturgeon farming at the level Aquatir operates requires an understanding of the fish that goes far beyond standard aquaculture. Sturgeon are ancient, highly sensitive creatures — they have survived largely unchanged for 200 million years, which means they have very specific requirements for water quality, temperature, current, feeding and social environment. Getting any of these wrong produces stressed, slow-growing fish whose caviar reflects the compromise.

Aquatir maintains controlled aquatic environments that closely replicate the natural conditions of the rivers and seas in which the different species evolved. Water quality is monitored continuously. Temperature is kept within the narrow optimal range for each species. Feed is composed of high-quality natural ingredients appropriate to each stage of the fish’s development.

The fish are raised without crowding, without the use of growth hormones, and without the shortcuts that characterise lower-grade aquaculture. This approach is slower and more expensive than industrial alternatives — but it is the only approach consistent with producing caviar of genuine distinction. The patience required to raise Beluga sturgeon to full maturity over 15 to 25 years is not a compromise Aquatir makes: it is a commitment embedded in the farm’s identity.

No‑Kill Harvest

The Classic Range: Aquatir and the No‑Kill Method

One of the most significant aspects of Aquatir’s production is its mastery of the humane milking method — the sustainable harvesting technique that forms the basis of our Classic caviar range.

In conventional caviar production, the female sturgeon is sacrificed at harvest. The milking method, by contrast, allows eggs to be gently extracted from a living fish that is briefly sedated and then returned to her tank. She survives, recovers fully and can produce caviar again in subsequent seasons. The same fish can yield multiple harvests over her natural lifespan.

Aquatir has developed deep expertise in this technique, which demands a level of skill and patience that goes significantly beyond the standard harvest. The result is caviar of outstanding quality that is also the most ethically and environmentally sustainable option available on the UK market today. Every tin of Classic caviar from London Caviar House is produced at Aquatir using this method.

You can read more about how the milking method works and what it means for quality and sustainability in our dedicated guide to Classic caviar.

Legal Guarantee

CITES Certification: The Legal and Ethical Guarantee

All caviar exported and sold internationally must carry CITES documentation under international law. CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) is the framework created precisely to prevent the illegal trade in wildlife products — including caviar — and to ensure that any legal trade is fully traceable and sustainable.

Aquatir holds current and comprehensive CITES certification covering all four species it produces. This certification is not a formality — it involves rigorous inspection of the farm, documentation of individual animals, verification of harvest weights and ongoing regulatory oversight. Caviar without CITES certification cannot be legally imported or sold in the UK.

When you buy from London Caviar House, the CITES documentation associated with your caviar is available. This is what distinguishes genuine premium caviar — produced by a certified, audited, responsible farm — from the mislabelled and fraudulent products that unfortunately circulate in less regulated corners of the online market. Read more about our sourcing standards and why it matters.

Global Presence

Aquatir on the World Stage

Aquatir’s standing in the global caviar industry is reflected in its participation in the world’s most prestigious seafood and food industry events. The farm has exhibited and presented at:

• Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona — the world’s largest seafood trade event, where Aquatir has showcased its caviar range to international buyers, distributors and food industry professionals
• The Global Seafood Marketplace 2026 — the most recent major international seafood trade event, at which London Caviar House and Aquatir were represented
• The 7th Seafood Expo in Dubai — a key event for the Middle Eastern luxury food market
• Fish International in Bremen, Germany — one of Europe’s leading seafood industry exhibitions

Participation at this level is not incidental. Aquatir exhibits at these events to engage with the international community of buyers, food professionals and regulatory experts — and to demonstrate, in the most public possible forum, the quality and legitimacy of its products. It is also at events like these that the partnership between Aquatir and London Caviar House was developed and deepened over time.

Direct Sourcing

Direct from Farm to Your Door: Why It Matters

The relationship between London Caviar House and Aquatir is not a buyer-supplier transaction in the conventional sense. As the official UK distributor of Aquatir, we have a direct, ongoing relationship with the farm itself — its specialists, its production team and its quality assurance processes.

This directness has practical consequences for you as a buyer. It means that when you order from London Caviar House, your caviar has not passed through a wholesale importer, then a distributor, then a retailer — each layer adding margin and increasing the time between farm and tin. It comes from Aquatir directly, imported by us, and sold by us. The supply chain is as short as it is possible to make it while operating across international borders.

It also means our prices reflect the actual cost of producing and importing exceptional caviar — not the accumulated margin of a multi-layered distribution network. This is why genuine, CITES-certified Beluga caviar from one of Eastern Europe’s most respected farms is available at London Caviar House at prices that are significantly more accessible than standard UK retail. Not cheaper because something has been compromised — but more honest because nothing unnecessary has been added.

Shop the Range

Explore the Aquatir Range

The full range of Aquatir caviar is available at London Caviar House across both our Classic and Premium ranges — Beluga, Osetra, Sterlet and Bester, in a variety of sizes from 28g tasting tins to 1kg formats.

For those looking to give an exceptional gift that comes with a genuine story of provenance, craftsmanship and ethical production, our caviar gift sets feature Aquatir products presented beautifully and ready to give.

For any questions about the Aquatir range, sourcing, certification or corporate orders, please contact us directly. We are always pleased to share more about the farm behind our caviar.