Like Selling Ice to Eskimos?

ENTREPRENEURIAL PROFILE: John Burke: Louisiana Caviar Company

The Louisiana Caviar Company, founded by John Burke, sells its product to customers in an unlikely foreign market: Russia.  Louisiana Caviar Company harvest its caviar from bowfin fish in Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Swamp, which is the largest wetland in the U.S.  The company sells caviar with a Cajun twist, flavoring the delicacy with various Cajun spices.  The Russian market opened up due to efforts to ban caviar from the Caspian Sea in Russia.  Overfishing and pollution have endangered sturgeon fish, which are the traditional source of Russian caviar.  Louisiana Caviar Company exports 80 percent of its product, with half of its exports going to Russia.[i]



[i] “The Louisiana Caviar Company,” Faces of Trade, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, n.d. www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/legacy/international/europe/files/1207_FacesofTradeRussia_final.pdf.