Caviar is one of the world's most popular delicacies, with variants like almas white beluga retailing for $25,000 per KG, there is no other food on the planet priced as highly. However, not all salted eggs are created equal, and prices can vary significantly depending on what you're buying and who you're buying from. Despite the fact that some caviar and salted fish roe are much more economical than others, most customers are unaware of why their caviar is so expensive. There are so many cured fish, crustacean, and mollusk eggs available to the public, ranging from rare beluga caviar to salty capelin roe, that prices can easily confuse those without caviar buying experience.
Let's look at why certain caviars are so expensive compared to others that are available for a fraction of the price:
Kind of fish (scarcity / availability of species)
How long does it take to make roe? (maturation)
Harvesting and production (process)
The salted roe's quality (grading)
The law of supply and demand (sourcing & popularity)
Obviously, this generalization is not exhaustive, and it cannot pinpoint every cost variable of each roe category from every available source worldwide, however by breaking down the above 5 items individually, we can gain a better understanding of how caviar products are priced. All of the expenses incurred by caviar producers are inextricably linked to the rarity of the eggs themselves, as well as all of the costs associated with their production. Let's take a closer look at the five most important cost factors.
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