The World Caviar Awards visited Monaco to present three awards to Monegasque participants on 19 December. The first edition of the prestigious world caviar championship was held on 30 October 2024 in Aquitaine, the birthplace of caviar in France.
The unique event, created by Laurent Morin, a native of Bordeaux with a passion for caviar, was designed to showcase farms and traders while bringing caviar to an ever-wider audience.
Christian Garcia, chef at the Palais Princier, chaired the first edition of the Awards. Big names in gastronomy such as Marcel Ravin, Juan Arbelaez, Mathieu Martin and François Sauvêtre, blind-tasted 45 caviars in competition behind closed doors.
The verdict revealed some surprises, with Monegasque companies winning several prestigious awards.
“It was with great pleasure that we came to Monaco to present the medals in person,” stated the World Caviar Awards.
Three Monaco Caviars are declared the winners…
The three caviars to be presented with certificates in person were: Amura Caviar, Caviar Ook (from the Odessa Sturgeon Breeding Complex) and Pakoff MC. To celebrate, Compte de Monte-Carlo Champagne provided the winners with bubbly refreshments.
Story behind the Awards
Laurent Morin, a media man and television expert with over 20 years of experience, discovered the exceptional quality of farmed caviar in Aquitaine in 2008. Inspired by the exceptional product, he made several films for Aquitaine fish farmers before launching into the Aquitaine caviar business. He then founded French Caviar, a company dedicated to the sale and promotion of French caviar.
Building on this success, Laurent Morin created the Royal Caviar de Monte-Carlo label under a Monegasque license and developed the exclusive Monte-Carlo Épicerie concept. He then put his business on hold to fully concentrate on organizing the World Caviar Awards with the goal of celebrating the best international caviar.
Who were the three biggest caviar producers in 2024?
World production of caviar (exclusively farmed) is currently 364 tonnes. In 2024, China was the biggest caviar producer with 150 tonnes produced, Italy was second with 65 tonnes and France was third, with 45 tonnes.
