How a Chinese Small City Caters Global Caviar Enthusiasts
Chinese County Towns are Turning Global Luxury Food into New Local Specialties
When visiting Quzhou, a small city in China’s Zhejiang Province, tourists exploring the popular Shuitingmen Scenic Area will inevitably encounter local specialties like spicy duck heads, fish heads, rabbit heads, and duck paws. But what may truly surprise visitors is stumbling upon a “Kaluga Queen” caviar boutique near the Tianwang Pagoda, where staff enthusiastically recommend their caviar gift boxes as unique souvenirs. Here’s something even many locals might not know: China is now the world’s largest producer and exporter of caviar, and Kaluga Queen – the globe’s top caviar brand – has a major factory right in Quzhou. For those unfamiliar with this luxury ingredient (which, along with truffles and foie gras, is called the three gourmet delicacies), the shop offers an accessible introduction: a caviar-topped vanilla ice cream. Priced at just ￥39 CNY ($5.40 USD), this dessert features a 3-gram portion of entry-grade caviar – a clever product designed to demystify the delicacy for domestic consumers while keeping it budget-friendly.
Cake or ice cream with caviar is one way to attract young customers.
At the end of 2023, as Harbin—the capital of Heilongjiang province—experienced a tourism boom, an unexpected phenomenon took the Chinese internet by storm: a group of kindergarteners from Guangxi, dressed in bright orange jackets, became national celebrities. Dubbed “Little Sugar Oranges” for their adorable appearance (and Guangxi’s fame as China’s top sugar-orange producer), their trip to the snowy north was livestreamed and followed by millions. The cultural exchange soon turned into a goodwill battle of local specialties. Guangxi sent 200 tons of its famed sugar oranges to thank Harbin for its hospitality, while Heilongjiang reciprocated with 100,000 boxes of cranberries—a gesture that shocked even locals, many of whom had no idea their province was a major cranberry producer. This sparked a nationwide “agricultural deep dive” [农业大摸底], with netizens uncovering surprising homegrown luxuries.
Later, the “Hidden Local Specialties Report” [隐藏土特产报告] released by Taobao, China’s largest online shopping platform, systematically introduced these new hometown delicacies: Beyond caviar, it revealed that foie gras – another premium gourmet ingredient – had long been successfully domesticated in China. As early as the 1980s, Shandong Province introduced Landes geese (the breed used for foie gras production). Today, Linqu County in Shandong and Huoqiu County in Anhui have become foie gras production hubs rivaling France’s Landes region. China now accounts for 45% of the world’s foie gras production. Yunnan has emerged as China’s leading producer of new specialty ingredients, thanks to its diverse climate types and varied topography. Here, macadamia nuts, avocados, and blueberries are now grown on large-scale plantations. Meanwhile, in the landlocked northwest regions far from the sea, aquaculture has taken off remarkably—Zhangye in Gansu and Ordos in Inner Mongolia have achieved mass production of Pacific white shrimp. If all these emerging agricultural products were mapped across China, one striking realization would emerge: the country’s agricultural landscape has undergone a profound transformation. Over 100 world luxury foods have been turned into China’s new specialties.
China’s newly introduced gourmet delicacy ingredients and their main production areas
In the past, local specialties were deeply rooted in their native soil – unique products intrinsically tied to their place of origin, like Shredded Jerky [灯影牛肉] from Dazhou, Sichuan, water-milled rice cakes [水磨年糕] from Cicheng, Zhejiang, or Choy Sum [菜薹] from Wuhan’s Hongshan District. These traditional specialties shared common traits: authentic flavors required artisanal production, remained small-scale by necessity, and adhered to the principle of “local production for local consumption” – believed to lose their original taste if removed from their native environment. They often carried an aura of scarcity, wrapped in local lore. The Hongshan Choy Sum, for instance, came with a mystical claim: only those grown within the shadow of Hongshan Pagoda could be considered genuine. The new generation of local specialties tells a different story. Most strikingly, unlike traditional specialties produced through scattered small-scale farming with relatively “primitive” techniques, these modern versions are frequently spearheaded by major corporations from the outset. “Scarcity” is no longer the ideal – instead, the focus shifts to efficient, large-scale, and stable output. They brought technologically advanced production methods and treated agricultural products with an industrial management approach.
Newly introduced local specialties in Yunnan Province
Kaluga Queen: To Develop Agriculture in the Way of Industry
Kaluga Queen’s parent company, Hangzhou Qiandaohu Xunlong Sci-Tech, exemplifies this modern approach. As a fully integrated enterprise overseeing the entire caviar production chain, it operates eight sturgeon farms across six provinces: Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Liaoning. In the past, fish farmers could not give an accurate count of how many fish they had, which made it impossible for them to provide fine-grained feeding and have an overall grasp of the situation. To achieve centralized management across all farms, the company implemented industrial-grade ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) systems – each breeding pool now has a unique ID, with daily updates tracking every sturgeon’s status. The company has also pushed innovation further by deploying advanced AI solutions for annual stocktaking. Partnering with AI specialists, they’ve developed drone-mounted high-speed cameras that capture aerial footage of swimming sturgeons. Advanced image-recognition algorithms then analyze this footage, achieving 97-98% counting accuracy.
During the artificial breeding process, a staff is checking the physical condition of the sturgeon after the roes are taken.
Today, 90% of Kaluga Queen’s caviar is exported overseas, while its domestic market share continues to expand. A rapid and fully refrigerated logistics network enables these new specialty products to travel beyond their places of production, reaching global consumers. By leveraging its unique strengths, China has developed production at a scale that allows active participation in global food production and distribution systems.
Most of these new specialty ingredients did not originate in China. They took root here because China’s vast territory offers compatible soil, water, and climatic conditions similar to their native habitats. Even the seemingly improbable aquaculture in the inland northwest represents an innovative solution – using alkaline soil for “fish farming as alkali remediation.” By extracting saline groundwater and adding minerals to create artificial seawater, these operations have adapted to local conditions while meeting marine cultivation requirements. “Breaking geographical constraints depends first on aligning with natural conditions,” said Professor Cai Hailong from China Agricultural University’s College of Economics and Management. “Facility agriculture and modern technology merely serve as enablers.”
In the factory, the entire caviar processing process, starting from rubbing the roes, is completed within 15 minutes.
“The history of agriculture is replete with examples of introduced species,” explained Prof. Cai. “Generally speaking, some were accidentally brought in through cultural exchanges, while others were deliberately imported and cultivated to address food security—adopted because they were high-yield and nutrient-rich, supporting population growth.” “But the new local specialties represent a different paradigm,” he continued. “They’re intentionally introduced to meet upgraded consumer demand—producers chasing economic value rather than basic sustenance.”
No food category better illustrates China’s consumption upgrade than fruit. During periods of food scarcity, fruits were considered luxury items—consumed only during special occasions like holidays or hospital stays, with limited varieties like apples, oranges, and bananas available. Around 2005, wholesale markets began proliferating nationwide, gradually diversifying fruit selections. Imported fruits entered Chinese consumers’ consciousness, particularly tropical varieties from Southeast Asia prized for their intense sweetness and exotic appeal. From longan and dragon fruit to premium-priced mangosteen and durian, these imports marked China’s first fruit consumption upgrade—a shift from basic nutrition to sensory indulgence.
Then came the arrival of the “superfruit” concept in China—a game-changing category that didn’t necessarily surpass traditional fruits in sweetness, but rather revolutionized consumer expectations with its health-focused appeal. These nutritionally dense fruits, touted for their anti-aging and anti-cancer properties, perfectly aligned with modern wellness anxieties.
It was during this wave that blueberries captured Chinese consumers’ imagination. “As the world’s most successful superfruit case study, blueberries became iconic,” observed Julian Mellentin, author of Successful Superfruit Strategy.
China has maintained its position as the world’s top blueberry producer since 2021, with Yunnan province leading the nation’s output. The region began experimenting with blueberry cultivation about two decades ago, and today, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture (commonly called Honghe) has become China’s most concentrated blueberry growing area.
The farmers are picking blueberries.
Though blueberries traditionally thrive in colder climates, Honghe’s unique microclimate—with dramatic day-night temperature variations and prolonged sunlight—proves equally ideal for cultivation. The region’s success stems not just from ideal growing conditions but continuous innovation in varieties. Farmers have developed: aromatic blueberries with distinctive floral notes, crispy blueberries prized for their satisfying crunch and big blueberries over 24mm in diameter. This blueberry boom reflects China’s ongoing fruit consumption upgrade—where fruits transition from dietary supplements to convenient snacks. Blueberries perfectly fit this snacking trend: no peeling, no seeds, just rinse-and-eat convenience that makes consuming an entire box as effortless as cracking sunflower seeds. Their popularity underscores how modern consumers prioritize not just nutrition but ease of consumption and snackability.
Yunnan blueberries continue to launch new varieties, and their sizes are getting bigger and bigger.
In the broader agricultural sector, whether for crop cultivation, livestock breeding, and aquaculture, seed development serves as the”chip” driving continuous advancement. When analyzing the emergence of new local specialties, Liu Zhaobin, President of Beijing Huaxia Industrial Economic Research Institute, identifies “leveraging technological empowerment to achieve breakthroughs in seed science and realize domestic sourcing at the origin” as the primary catalyst.
The caviar industry exemplifies this technological transformation perfectly. While China had no traditional caviar culture, it was researchers from scientific institutes who first achieved breakthroughs in sturgeon breeding and artificial reproduction—and who recognized the ingredient’s vast economic potential. Some eventually left academia to pioneer this new industry.
Their efforts produced “Xunlong No. 1,” a purpose-bred hybrid whose roe combines the best traits of its parent species: high yield, large grain size, and superior elasticity—qualities now prized by chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide. Behind this success lies rigorous R&D: Kaluga Queen operates its own research institute where genetic breeding forms the core mission: get more sturgeons that lay light-colored eggs, increase the number of eggs that sturgeons carry and breed an all-female variety. These are the goals of their continuous variety optimization.
Global Michelin-starred chefs visited a sturgeon farm in Quzhou in 2024.
Guizhou Matcha, An Example of New Local Specialties’ Standardization Character
“Variety, quality, branding and standardization defines the new era of local specialties,” Prof. Cai summarized. A prime example is the matcha produced in Tongren, Guizhou province. Guizhou Tea Group, headquartered in Jiangkou County, has risen to become China’s top and the world’s second-largest matcha producer.
The preliminary tencha product must undergo grading by Guizhou Tea Group’s evaluation team before entering storage. Using assessments of color, aroma, and taste as criteria, the tencha is classified into four grades: 3, 4, 5, and 6. The price difference between the highest and lowest grade tencha raw materials can vary by several times.
Matcha originally traces its roots to China, where it flourished during the Song Dynasty (10th century) alongside the refined art of diancha [点茶] tea whisking. During the Southern Song period (12th century), Japanese Buddhist monk Myōan Eisai brought the steamed green tea processing techniques to Japan, where they were perfected and preserved. Meanwhile in China, matcha gradually faded into obscurity amid evolving tea traditions. Yet matcha has experienced a remarkable revival in recent years, fueled by China’s booming new tea drink trend. Each spring now sees a wave of matcha-flavored seasonal products, creating perfect market conditions for Guizhou’s matcha industry development.
Guizhou possessed no first-mover advantage in tea cultivation. Before vigorously developing its tea industry in 2007, the province had merely 1.02 million mu (68,000 hectares) of tea plantations, with its output failing to rank among China’s top ten tea-producing regions. As the traditional tea market declined, Guizhou’s tea enterprises struggled to establish market-recognized brands in conventional tea categories and secure a competitive position in China’s fragmented tea market, where taste preferences varied widely.
The emergence of matcha transformed Guizhou’s tea industry landscape. Its late start inherently endowed Guizhou tea production with modern agricultural traits—eschewing herbicides, applying organic fertilizers, and avoiding chemical pesticides in alignment with the province’s “Clean Tea” initiative, while also enabling more mechanized plantation layouts and management. The matcha production process relies on blending to achieve flavor consistency. As a result, Guizhou tea’s lack of distinct character became its unique advantage in matcha—a sector demanding standardization and industrial-scale production. As an export commodity procured by multinational corporations and a widely used food additive, matcha disrupted traditional tea’s emphasis on terroir, artisanal methods, and subjective taste preferences. The market’s varied preferences were unified by matcha’s standardized flavor profile. Ultimately, Guizhou tea achieved an overtaking victory on the curve.
Matcha used in tea ceremony is often the best and most expensive in the product line.
Chinese Wagyu Beef Industry: Chasing for the Taste
For new local specialty products to achieve lasting success, they must ultimately win consumer approval through taste – as evidenced by our reporters’ investigation into China’s Wagyu beef industry across Tianjin, Shandong and Inner Mongolia. While Western consumers prefer firmer beef textures, Asian palates favor more tender, melt-in-the-mouth qualities, with Chinese gourmets particularly appreciating Wagyu’s rich umami flavor. China’s Wagyu breeding industry, which began in the 1990s across northern pastoral regions near grain and forage production areas, follows precise quality parameters: producing that characteristic fine marbling depends 50% on cattle genetics, 30% on feed quality, and 20% on rearing environment. During the crucial fattening stage, Chinese ranchers have developed their own effective methods – they liken raising Wagyu to “fattening a chubby child,” emphasizing ample forage intake for weight gain, restricted movement to ensure tender muscle fibers, and maintaining healthy, stress-free conditions where cattle remain content but inactive, essentially keeping them “pleasantly lazy.” The resulting Chinese Wagyu rivals imported products in flavor, and actually surpasses them when dry-aged, since most imported Wagyu undergoes freezing that damages the essential bacterial cultures for proper aging. Currently, the main constraint lies in breeding – the pace of hybridization and herd expansion hasn’t kept up with soaring domestic demand, leaving China’s Wagyu production unable to fully satisfy the domestic market’s appetite for this premium beef.
The A3-level Wagyu beef is cost-effective, having a wider consumer group.
Challenge for the New Local Specialties
However, for mass-produced new local specialties like blueberries, a pressing challenge emerges: how to avoid repeating the boom-and-bust cycle seen with other “internet-famous fruits” after achieving widespread availability. The Shine Muscat grape serves as a cautionary tale—initially a premium market darling, its popularity prompted massive grower adoption leading to oversupply and precipitous price drops. Some farmers, chasing quick profits, resorted to premature harvesting or ripening agents, compromising flavor quality and tarnishing the variety’s reputation. “Sustaining these new specialties requires brand and cultivar protection, continuous new variety development, and government-guided cultivation practices,” Prof. Cai emphasized. “These measures collectively maintain long-term viability.”
Editor: Chang Zhangjin
