Most people's preconception of caviar is that it is an expensive luxury only affordable on special occasions. Lemberg Caviar House is not taking this challenge lying down! The company has been in the caviar business for more than 20 years and it offers its customers quality sturgeon and salmon caviar at half the market price, also holding tastings and offering enticing discounts at its new London store, such as the 10% discount on caviar now available to Kommersant UK readers. How did a small family business become one of Europe's major caviar suppliers? Why has the caviar house opened its first branch in London? What caviar dishes might grace a royal table? How does such a large player manage to remain loyal and attentive to clients? On the eve of the Christmas holidays, Yuliana Volnaya, the head of retail sales and director of the British branch of Lemberg Caviar House answers these questions and more.
Please tell us the story of how your caviar house was founded.
It's a family business which began with a dream. We had the idea of creating the caviar house in 2001 when my family moved from Vancouver to Berlin. Our brand, Lemberg, began with a small shop with its own product line of caviar. Since then, production has tripled and we have transformed into one of the major globally recognised caviar producers in Europe, with wholesale and retail sales to clients in more than 20 different countries of the world.
Originally the business was focused solely on red caviar. You could say Lemberg was part of a concerted drive to popularise red caviar in Europe. Like other gourmet fish products, black caviar appeared in the assortment later. Essentially, our family’s bold vision was to make caviar affordable for all. Even now, years later, Lemberg has stayed true to its original concept by offering caviar and seafood delicacies at affordable prices. If caviar was once a privilege of monarchs and aristocrats, now everyone can afford it.
Where can we buy your products?
Sturgeon and salmon caviar and other delicacies are now for sale in supermarkets and Eastern European grocery stores across virtually all of Europe, Israel and Britain, including retail outlets such as Dacha and Kalinka. Caviar can also be ordered online on our site; Lemberg.uk This option is available for customers in almost all EU countries, Canada and Britain. For orders from £150, deliveries are free in London.
You’ve recently opened your flagship store in London, your caviar house’s first UK outlet. Why in particular did you choose the British capital?
I was educated in England and opening a shop here has always been my dream. I really love this country, its culture, history and architecture and if we manage to launch and successfully roll out a business in Britain, it should be possible to do the same in any country in the world. I convinced my dad by saying our UK sales are going well and if our products are well received online, that means they’ll be popular offline too. You see, having your own shop is a chance to introduce the public to our products and brand and get feedback. We hold tastings where we talk about the health benefits of caviar. It’s rich in protein, with 30g of it per 100g and also omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, microelements and antioxidants, so people in the know eat caviar regularly.
There is a different culture of caviar consumption here. The Russian-speaking community appreciates salmon caviar for its unique taste and health-giving properties, so they eat it significantly more often, making them our principal purchasers of salmon caviar. The British, by contrast, mostly buy sturgeon caviar and only for special occasions; many have never tried salmon caviar at all. But I'm sure this trend is gradually changing; once the British have tried our salmon caviar they won't be able to resist and will start buying it regularly. To ensure our introduction of the product goes smoothly, we hold special offers with very substantial discounts and attractive prices for salmon caviar.
What difficulties did you encounter while launching your business?
The greatest difficulty was finding well-located premises for our store, but we eventually succeeded. Our address is 3A Campden Street, W8 7EP (the Instagram account is @lembergcaviarhouse). The shop is open from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm every day except Sundays. We have had our own warehouse for three years, so we don't need a new one.
Has Brexit affected your business?
It's become more complex and expensive to import goods. We've coped with this challenge quite successfully and it has had virtually no effect on the price of our products for customers.
What products can we buy in your store?
Lemberg has the widest range of caviars in Europe. You can find a wide range of very different caviars and roes on the online shop, such as сhum (or keta), pink salmon, coho, trout, cod, pollock and pike as well as seven varieties of sturgeon caviar. We also offer exquisite seafood delicacies. Quite soon, Matias herring fillets will appear on sale. The assortment of the London shop is still not large, although there is always sturgeon and salmon caviar and smoked and lightly salted salmon. Next year, the range will widen further and more smoked products will appear.
What makes your products unique?
We sell frozen salmon caviar by weight and it contains no preservatives. It is delivered to us directly from Alaska. This wild salmon caviar has an excellent flavour and nutritional value. For the market as a whole and especially in Europe, wild-caught caviar is a great rarity. We also have an extensive range of salmon caviars at affordable prices. We sell caviar at the production price so our customers can afford to eat it by the spoonful. 100g of sturgeon caviar costs £75, which is around half the average market price. During the month-long special offer after the opening of the store, we were selling sturgeon caviar at £49 for 100g. The price for salmon caviar begins at £9 for 100g (it varies depending on the type of fish).
What family or festive caviar traditions do emigrants continue in Britain? Have the English already developed any of their own?
The British treat themselves to caviar at Christmas, one of their favourite holidays. Sometimes they also buy caviar for Easter. They serve it with small blini or pikelets, which we also have in our assortment and wash it down with champagne. Russophone customers always purchase caviar for New Year, Christmas, March 8 (International Women's Day), Easter and birthdays. They decorate salads with it, serve it with boiled eggs and blini and make tartlets. Why must salmon caviar be on every table, both on holidays and work days? It's not just scrumptious, it also gives more grandeur to any event, even the most mundane.
Could salmon caviar grace the royal dining table at Christmas? If so, in what form?
Of course, caviar adds splendour to any table, including those of royalty. For instance, small tartlets with caviar and whipped butter go very well with afternoon tea. For a royal banquet, I would suggest my favourite dish, baked potato with caviar.
What sort of salmon caviar would you suggest for a royal banquet and why?
I would recommend keta caviar; this is the royal red caviar, juicy with a distinct rich taste. The round roe balls pop in the mouth and release an intense fishy flavour.
Are there plans to open new shops or work with restaurants in the new year?
How would you envisage the development of your business in five years?
We already deliver caviar to restaurants and we plan to further our expansion into the hospitality industry. We also aim to increase the range and scale of our products delivered to retailers. We're ready for partnership with other businesses. Over the next five years, I hope Lemberg will open several more caviar boutiques in Britain.
