Continental Caviar is a family owned and operated company located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
It all started after the Iranian Hostage Crises in 1981 when Laban DeFriese and his wife Joann started making caviar on a small scale for the first several years while perfecting a secret processing method culled from renowned Russian and Iranian techniques.
Mr. DeFriese states, “A fish is a fish and there is no reason to think that a Tennessee fish is any different than a Russian or Iranian fish. Once we found out that we had practically the same fish, the sturgeon, it was a matter of learning how to process it. We believe that our American caviar rivals the caviar of Russia and Iran.”
New York writer Susan Friedland says that Continental Caviar is “far and away the best North American Caviar I’ve ever tasted.”
Our mission is to continue to offer the world’s finest caviar.
Our Process
Our network of harvesting stations constantly replenishes our caviar supply. Incoming caviar is tested to meet Continental’s high standards for taste, size, color, shape and salt content. The condition of your caviar is carefully controlled. Your order is individually inspected and carefully packed immediately prior to your shipping.
Sustainability
Continental Caviar was a pioneer in promoting legislation for sustainable growth of the American Paddlefish and Hackleback Sturgeon by replenishing and stocking our lakes and rivers to ensure the sustainability of this prehistoric fish and we remain committed to protect and sustain this wonderful fish for generations to come ensuring that it will flourish another 75 million years.
