Established in 2000, Caviar Classic Land has risen to one of the foremost dealers and suppliers of caviar in the Middle East. The HACCP certified company boasts an extensive list of clients, ranging from upmarket hospitality chains to renowned retail outlets. 

Marc Farshidi, the CEO and Managing Director of Caviar Classic Land attributes the company’s growth to his everlasting penchant for success, drawing up new goals every quarter and taking his company to new strides at every opportune moment. “Every year is a year of development; every year is a year of growth,” he often says, and this is the motto and strategy he strictly abides by. 

Starting his career in 1994 within the food industry, Marc Farshidi always held a deep-rooted commitment to sustainability. He decided to fuse his passion with a business idea. “I came across caviar as a luxury product during the course of my work, created a detailed market study about the same and decided to launch a new company called ‘Plain Caviar’,” said Marc. He also simultaneously started a restaurant in Geneva. In 2013, Marc made a move to Dubai, as the destination is well known for its stable economy, security and passionate people. He also mentioned that Dubai is a happy city and an excellent place for new beginnings. 

Marc’s passion for the luxurious gourmet product is the primary driver for running this business. “Life is a challenge, it is all about change,” said Marc. “I was working in the food industry before and was eventually drawn to caviar. I realized that many people know about this product through various social media channels and the internet, but didn’t have access to it and also didn’t know how to obtain it. That was one of the main reasons I chose this business.”  In response to the types of caviar he supplies, Marc mentioned, “Caviar Classic Land offers the most in-demand types of caviar including beluga, starlet, an albino, sevruga and osetra - directly sourced and discriminately selected from each harvest.”

The company’s portfolio of clients is presently classified into three categories. The first category is supermarkets such as Lulu, Aswaaq, West Zone and more. Secondly, they serve 5 and 7-star hotels in the region. Private banking sectors and catering companies form the third category. “Apart from this, we supply to wholesale markets in places such as like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and European countries like Switzerland and Germany,” he said.  

The history of caviar is indeed fascinating, and Marc has taken it upon himself to garner knowledge about the product he sells. “In the 60th-century caviar was harvested for the first time by Persian and Russian fisherman in the Caspian Sea until 1975. Later, the United Nations decided to control this as it is now an endangered commodity. From 1998 onwards, harvesting caviar from the sea was completely forbidden. Eventually, the UN permitted the development of caviar by farming. The caviar of today’s market is developed only by farming. More than 45 countries are producing it, including Uruguay, Russia, European countries, Italy, Turkey, UAE, Switzerland,” Marc recounted. 

Moving onto the more specific benefits of caviar, Marc has much to divulge on the numerous health aspects of the product, “Even a small quantity of caviar contains a major portion of omega3 fatty acids which helps prevent blood clotting, reduces arthritis hardening, and also regulates blood pressure. Consuming 20 grams of caviar per day will reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Additionally, caviar is rich in selenium, antioxidants and vitamin B12 which is necessary to maintain optimal health all the times.” He further added that caviar aids in the efficient metabolism of the body. 

Marc has taken challenges in his stride and prefers not to use the term “difficulties”, “I call them “challenges”, not “difficulties”,” he said. “In the food industry especially for products like caviar, there is always room to grow and create more business. I don’t have any difficulties in this business as it has been booming since 2018.” 

 â€œWhen we feel that there are difficulties, we need to make changes. When we change there will be new products, new presentations, a new atmosphere as well as a new customer and that will be a bootstrapping mechanism for mounting the business.”

Ending on an inspirational note, Marc said, “Our region is aligned with a wonderful leadership vision - to make UAE perfect and one of the best countries in the world. Our company follows this vision and urges each one of our customers to do the same.”