Bespoke Caviar launches into foodservice to satisfy growing hotel demand

Bespoke Caviar has expanded its operations to include a wholesale division aimed at the hotel and restaurant market.

The business was established by Jamie Lee when he began selling caviar to friends at Christmas five years ago. He identified a gap in the market for good caviar at competitive prices, and the business is now expanding from retail into foodservice.

The brand offers four varieties of caviar, including its classic Siberian sturgeon, which is a smaller egg with an intense caviar flavour, Imperial, which is the same fish but the higher grade of egg, Royal Oscietra and Beluga.

Lee said: "With suppliers we are very particular. We wanted to be sure our supplier was extremely ethical and only sourced from responsible farms. All caviar is farmed these days. There is no wild anymore. Sturgeon are considered an endangered species, so they are 100% protected, so all caviar bought now is from farmed stock.

"We went out to find the best caviar we could in terms of quality, that was also sensibly priced. Ours is far more affordable than some other brands. The classic starts at £1 a gram, going up to £3.50 for the Beluga. But I'd say if you want to spoil yourself the Royal Oscietra at £1.40 is fantastic. But we also offer a wholesale price."

He is currently in talks with a number of London hotels and expects to have supply deals in place soon so that the public can enjoy the product in a hospitality environment.

Lee added: "The thing about hospitality is that it is feast or famine. Caviar might be a small garnish on a menu but equally you could have a guest who wants kilos of it. Hotels just can't hold the stock. But with us if you put the order in before 2pm you'll get the caviar by close of business the same day. It makes a real difference to operators and solves any stock issues."

The Bespoke Caviar founder said that demand was as high as it had ever been, particularly for luxury goods.

"People have disposable income and the world is becoming more sophisticated," Lee said.

"They are aware that if you're spending money on food you can't get any better than caviar. The great thing is that it's more affordable now too."