There are only a few hundred caviar masters in the world, Jan Perat is one of them. He has been working in caviar production at Oona Caviar for twelve years and can proudly claim that he is the only one who produces caviar entirely without preservatives. Oona Caviar has found the optimum conditions for maximum freshness in the Frutigen Tropical House. Tropics and mountains - not something that go together at first glance. But during the construction of the Lötschberg tunnel, workers came across water at a temperature of 20 degrees, which was not allowed to be channelled into the nearby river, the Kander, at this temperature. Cooling the water would cost too much energy, which is why this option was out of the question. However, the solution was not far away: the water is channelled into the nearby Tropical House Frutigen, which uses the mountain water for its sturgeons. The ideal temperature for the fishes. With the help of filter systems, the sturgeons can grow up there under optimal conditions without antibiotics or other medication.

 

By hand and with great care

Production takes place exclusively by hand and under the strictest hygiene regulations at 7 degrees Celsius, which is why the employees wear warm clothing under their hygienic coats. After the caviar is taken from the sturgeon, it takes just under half an hour for the fish eggs to be packed and vacuum-sealed in their tins, ready for labelling and delivery, which at Oona Caviar takes place directly from the producer to the customer. It only takes around two days for the caviar to arrive fresh from the fish on the shelves at Gate Gourmet, ready to be loaded onto the aircraft.

The Frutigen Tropical House ensures that after its nine to ten-year life, not only the sturgeon's caviar is used, but also its meat and skin. The firm meat of the sturgeon is smoked and sold and is also offered in the in-house restaurant. The skin of the sturgeon is used to make sturgeon leather accessories such as belts and wallets.

In SWISS First, "Oona Caviar" from Tropenhaus Frutigen is offered for tasting along with two other types of caviar over the course of two weeks. A conscious decision, as Pascal Derksen, Inflight Culinary Development Manager, explains: "It is important to us to offer our First Class guests a varied and high-quality culinary offering. Caviar in particular is an integral part of this. At SWISS, we deliberately only serve it for a two-week period. This enables us to ensure a sustainable origin and a premium product."