Caviar from New Jersey? Once the world’s source, we’re staging a comeback

🐟 NJ once produced 90% of the world’s caviar from a tiny Cumberland County hub dubbed “Caviar, New Jersey.”

🌊 A Swedesboro family farm is reviving the industry with 30,000 European sturgeon and sustainable aquaculture.

👑 Fresh, farm-to-table caviar ships in 24–48 hours — no imports, no middleman.

SWEDESBORO — "All caviar is roe, but not all roe is caviar. Roe refers to fish eggs. Caviar refers solely to Sturgeon fish eggs." 

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Once upon a time, New Jersey was considered the caviar capital of the world, having produced 90% of the world’s caviar from a hub in Cumberland County known as Caviar, New Jersey in the late 19th century.

Now, a New Jersey family is looking to revive the state’s caviar industry through a sustainable sturgeon farm that’s a stone’s throw away from the once “Caviar Capital of the World,” says Russ Pritchard, content writer for King Caviar Farms in Gloucester County.

When New Jersey was the ‘caviar capital of the world’

First, a little bit of history. The Civil War ended in 1865. The veterans needed work. The Delaware River became a means of employment. In the 1870s, they started fishing the river, catching large sturgeon, taking those caviar eggs, and sending them to New York.

New York would then send the eggs to Russia, and Russia would repackage them and ship them around Europe as famous Russian caviar, Pritchard said.

During that very short period of time, Caviar, New Jersey, was the “caviar capital of the world,” filling up 12 to 15 train cars of caviar every day, shipping 90% of the world’s caviar to New York and Philadelphia, which were then shipped to Russia, he added.

Sustainable sturgeon farming in Swedesboro revives NJ caviar industry

Today, King Caviar Farms in Swedesboro is run by the Pastiu family, with Dr. Septimiu Pastiu and his daughter, Anamaria at the helm. Raising sturgeon and harvesting caviar eggs started as a hobby, then it turned into a passion, and eventually a business, Pritchard explained.

This is a private 8-acre fish farm of pedigreed European sturgeon, so the fish is not coming from the Delaware River, he said. About 30,000 sturgeons in eight large basins are on the property.

“The farm there is fully sustainable. It uses a recirculating aquaculture system, so the water is used over and over again after filtration. It sits on the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer, which is incredibly clean water, and that is where the caviar comes from,” Pritchard said.

King Caviar Farms is a great reclamation of history and offers a farm-to-table approach, avoiding imports, preservatives, and antibiotics; it’s just authentic caviar.

“All our caviar comes from our fish. We are not importers,” Pritchard said.

Farm-to-table New Jersey caviar shipped overnight

King Caviar Farms is currently the only caviar farm in New Jersey. It is a labor of love to harvest these caviar eggs. Pritchard said it takes seven years for sturgeon to be big enough to harvest their eggs.

Another great thing about the farm’s caviar is that it’s affordable. For centuries, caviar was known as a delicacy for royalty and leaders of monarchies.

But, unlike the model from the 19th century, there is no middleman and no brokers.
“It literally comes from the time that the product is harvested to your front door in a matter of 24 to 48 hours,” Pritchard said.

An ounce of King Caviar Farms caviar costs between $75 and $85.

Another perk to caviar is that it is categorized as a superfood, Pritchard said. Its high nutritional density and health benefits (high protein, high Vitamin B-12, rich in antioxidants and Omega-3 fatty acids) support overall cellular health, heart health, and brain function, Pritchard explained.

People can get King Caviar Farms caviar by visiting the website and scheduling a pickup or delivery date.

The caviar, however, is not sold in stores.

“We’re not on Amazon. It’s not a big retail operation that you’re going to see. That’s not who we are. We are a small niche family business producing caviar that’s shipped to the lower 48 states overnight. We’re in restaurants, and we’re showing up on people’s home doors,” Pritchard said.

It’s a true farm-to-table experience.

King Caviar Farms also offers tours. “People are welcome to come visit and see aquaculture at its best,” Pritchard said.

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