- China farms one-third of the world's caviar, making it the biggest producer of the luxury food in the world.
- Chinese caviar producers like Kaluga Queen are flooding the global market, making the food cheaper and more accessible.
- US producers are now feeling the strain, as caviar prices have dropped 58% in six years.
- $4
Following is a transcript of an episode of Business Insider Today. Watch the full episode $4.
This sturgeon can produce as much as 33 pounds of eggs. And just 1 pound is worth $4.
It's caviar - also known as "black gold."
But Chinese caviar producers are $4, making this luxury item cheaper and more accessible in the US.
$4 from 2012 to 2018 for US producers - and small American caviar farms are struggling to make a profit.
Even so, caviar production in China continues to skyrocket.
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One-third of the world's caviar is made in China, with producers like Kaluga Queen leading the way.
China supplies one-third of the world's caviar, and its $4, Kaluga Queen, raises its sturgeon in this 221-square-mile man-made lake.
Here, a worker is feeding pellets to sturgeon - which are no ordinary fish.
Xia Yongtao, Kaluga Queen deputy general manager: "It's a living fossil from the Cretaceous period, the era of dinosaurs, and like a 'living Ferrari' swimming in the water."
There are about 200,000 of these "living Ferraris" at this farm eating a diet of shrimp, peas, and vitamins. At 7 years old, they can reach $4.
And after tending to them for seven years, it's not always easy to say goodbye.
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US caviar producers are now feeling the strain as prices drop.
Qiao Yuwen, Kaluga Queen sturgeon farm worker: "When they are mature, they can give the company profit, but they have to leave us. I find it hard to part with them."
In the end, it's a business and the eggs are a delicacy, sought by many around the world.
Russia used to be the world's top producer, but $4 in the Caspian Sea depleted its supply of caviar.
And other countries - including Japan, Italy, and the US - have stepped up to meet demand.
Today, China leads the charge with 54% of the world's commercial caviar farms. And no one has ramped up production quite as fast as the Chinese.
In fact, China's caviar production $4 from 2003 to 2016.
And Kaluga Queen has plans to get even bigger. Its deputy general manager said over the next five years, it will $4 each year.
This increase in supply is a threat to other caviar producers, who fear the abundance will lower profits and decrease the value of their product.
But consumers have everything to gain from a lower price. And for now, caviar is still seen as a symbol of luxury.