Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
Ocean Secrets is an Israel headquartered company that is setting up a factory in Bengaluru to produce vegetarian caviar. Caviar is made of fish, while Ocean Secrets’ caviar is made of sea weeds from the Sea of Japan. “It is pure, healthy, has Omega-3, Omega-6, low in calorie – in 100 gm there is 18 calories,” said Bella Zehavi, VP legal and marketing, Ocean Secrets India. Pointing out that their product is healthier than original caviar and also cheaper, Zehavi informed that it can be mixed in cold or warm dish, and can be even cooked for a few minutes.
The sea weeds are dried, grinded and then the caviar is made. The difference between orange caviar and black caviar is in the flavour. The orange is a bit more saltier than the black. Both are made of the same sea weed. The vegetarian caviar can be used in salads, pasta, toppings for pizza, etc.
The reason why Ocean Secrets decided to set up a factory in India is not just because of the country’s large vegetarian population but also because people here are open to new products, mentioned Zack Shauli, sales director, Ocean Secrets India. “It is a big market for vegetarian caviar,” he asserted.
Acknowledging that the Indian population is not much aware of vegetarian caviar, Shauli informed that the company is now associating with chefs here and developing recipes specially for Indian cuisine. He believes that the five star hotels and chefs will adopt it first and then it will be popularised with the general public. “Chefs in India love the concept of vegetarian caviar,” he said.