French company Petrossian has opened a new caviar laboratory on the outskirts of London in a bid to combat Brexit red tape.
Founded in Paris in 1920, the UK subsidiary of the brand launched seven years ago, going on to launch a UK online store in 2020 with guaranteed 24hr delivery.
Since Brexit, trade regulations between the UK and the EU have prompted the company to develop its own UK-based laboratory, set to be fully operational this month.
“Until now we’ve had to forecast what products we may need 6 weeks ahead, head office in Paris then has to apply for export permits for specific batch numbers in precise quantities,” explained Raphaelle Simmons, Petrossian’s UK managing director.
“Having to forecast requirements so far in advance meant that we always ended up with either shortages or wastage,” he added.
The company has recruited a new caviarologist to work at the lab in Chessington, who will take charge of the entire caviar production in the UK as well as acting as a technical expert and Petrossian ambassador with visiting chefs.
Petrossian will import the 1.8kg mother tins of caviar which are refrigerated in a maturing chamber, turned regularly, and tapped with a hammer to make sure no air bubbles can affect the caviar. The process of maturing caviar can take anywhere from four months to a year.
“We will import less often, in bigger volumes, saving a lot of time and paperwork,” said Raphaelle.
