Caviar prices in South Africa
What black caviar actually costs here, what drives the number, and how to spend less without buying worse.
The short answer
A 10 g tasting tin starts at R590. A 30 g tin — enough for a small dinner — runs from about R1,640 to R2,890 depending on species and grade. A 100 g centrepiece of Beluga is the top of the range at R8,140 to R8,640.
Below is our full price list. It is the live price, not an estimate.
| Caviar | Grade | 10 g | 30 g | 50 g | 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beluga | Classic | R940 | R2 740 | R4 290 | R8 140 |
| Beluga | Premium | R1 020 | R2 890 | R4 590 | R8 640 |
| Russian Sturgeon | Classic | R690 | R1 990 | R3 190 | R5 490 |
| Russian Sturgeon | Premium | R720 | R2 140 | R3 340 | R6 240 |
| Bester | Classic | R670 | R1 890 | R2 990 | R5 440 |
| Sterlet | Classic | R590 | R1 640 | R2 590 | — |
Prices in South African rand. A dash means we do not stock that size. To order, open the Beluga, Russian Sturgeon, Bester or Sterlet page.
What you are actually paying for
The fish, and how long it took
Sturgeon are slow. The larger the species and the longer it takes to mature, the more the roe costs — which is why Beluga sits at the top of every price list in the world and Sterlet sits at the bottom. That gap is biology, not branding.
The grade
Within the same roe, larger and more uniform pearls are separated into a higher grade. Fewer pearls qualify, so Premium costs more than Classic. A 10 g Beluga Premium is R1,020 against R940 for Classic — the cheapest upgrade on the list. More on grades.
The chain between the producer and you
This is the part that varies wildly and the part nobody prints on the tin. Every business in the middle adds a margin, and every hand-over is a place the cold chain can break. Ours is short: an established South African importer, then us, then you — cold the whole way.
Delivery
Cold delivery is not free to run, but it should not be a profit centre either. Cape Town is free over R2,000 and R100 below that; Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and the Winelands are free over R3,500 and R250 below that. How delivery works.
How to spend less without buying worse
- Buy a smaller tin of a better grade. A 10 g Premium beats a 30 g of something tired, every time.
- Consider Bester. It carries a lot of the Beluga character — buttery, nutty, long — for noticeably less.
- Cross R2,000 if you are in Cape Town. Delivery goes free, which is R100 back in your pocket.
- Do not stockpile. Caviar is not wine. Buy it for the occasion, not for the cupboard.
Is cheap caviar a red flag?
Not automatically — a short supply chain genuinely lowers the price. What should worry you is a seller who cannot tell you the species, the grade, or how the tin was kept cold on its way to you. Those three answers matter more than the number on the label.
What to buy for the occasion
- A first taste — Sterlet Classic 10 g, R590.
- A dinner for four — Russian Sturgeon Classic 30 g, R1,990.
- A serious course for two — Bester Classic 50 g, R2,990.
- A gift — Russian Sturgeon Premium 30 g, R2,140.
- The centrepiece — Beluga Premium 100 g, R8,640.
Order at these prices
Everything above is held cold and delivered cold.