Meet The Sister Act Behind Union Street's New 'The Caviar Co.'

Meet The Sister Act Behind Union Street's New 'The Caviar Co.'Photos: Shirin Jones/Hoodline
Shirin Jones
Published on March 27, 2017

Siblings Saskia and Petra Bergstein are so passionate about caviar that they call themselves The Caviar Sisters. And though their business, The Caviar Co., may have been founded to serve primarily chefs and wholesalers, they're now taking their knowledge of caviar directly to the public.

On March 4th, the Bergsteins opened a new retail shop at 1954 Union St., with the goal of providing sustainable caviar to both aficionados and newbies. 

"We want to bring new life and energy to caviar," says Saskia. "We are trying to bring caviar to our generation and make it more approachable. We love to give everyone a taste, whether it is their first time or not. We want everyone to experience it."

The sisters, who hail from Texas, each bring a relevant background to the business: Petra has worked for a caviar farm, while Saskia is a former CPA. Their storefront, which also offers Kendra Scott jewelry, truffle honey, serving spoons, and other items, is entirely self-funded, and opened just five weeks after they signed the lease.

Inside, caviar aficionados can find traditional Russian osetra caviar imported from Israel, alongside newer offerings like smoked trout roe, Siberian sturgeon caviar sourced from Poland, and white sturgeon caviar from California.

Tastings are offered for $50-150 per person, depending on the quality of caviar, and come with all the traditional accoutrements. (For now, beverages are BYOB, as they work on obtaining a liquor license.) 

The Bergsteins say sustainability is a key part of their business. "Sturgeon are such special creatures that should be respected and understood," says Petra. "They have been around for millions of years; they are as old as dinosaurs. We want our customers to get the best quality caviar they possibly can, but not at the risk of poaching the species."

"Caviar's history goes back to the 1400s," says Sasha. "It's fun, because we can still enjoy the old traditions, but bring in our own modern twist."

The sisters also sell their caviar at retail, as an "everyday splurge" for dinner parties or special occasions. It starts at $10 per ounce, and goes up to $165/ounce for top-shelf varieties. 

The Bergsteins say they chose Cow Hollow because they live in the area, but also for its diversity of local businesses.

"Cow Hollow is changing," says Petra. "There have been a lot of businesses opening on all types of levels ... we have an open door to everyone, even people who just want to look around and hang out. We're about having a happy place with happy people."

Formal tastings are available by appointment, and the shop is equipped with a dining table for groups. But visitors are also welcome to simply stop in, hang out, and taste some caviar.

The Caviar Co. is open Tuesday-Friday from 10am to 6pm, Saturday from 11am to 6pm, and Sunday from noon to 4pm.