Our Story

In the late 1990s, Mark Zaslavsky and Mark Gelman grew concerned with the rampant, global overfishing and harvesting practices centered around wild sturgeon species for their caviar. As a result, the novel idea to import sturgeon species, including beluga, sevruga, and sterlet broodstock, in order to create their own sustainable sturgeon aquafarm was born. After years of hard work and tens of transatlantic flights, their subsidiary, Sturgeon AquaFarms, was established in Bascom, FL. However, in 2005, the United States government established a ban on the import of wild Beluga (Huso Huso) sturgeon and beluga caviar. The ban was instituted, in part, as a result of the rapidly declining population of the prized species in the Caspian Sea and surrounding areas. Mark Zaslavsky and Mark Gelman not only imported beluga broodstock prior to the ban, but also contributed to sustainability efforts and population rehabilitation efforts across the world. As a result of this and the meeting of all legal requirements, Sturgeon AquaFarms was granted an exemption from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ban on the commercial sale of beluga, becoming the only entity currently allowed to legally sell purebred beluga caviar in the United States. In addition to producing the notorious beluga caviar, SAF continues to produce sevruga and sterlet caviar as well. Marky’s subsidiary, Sturgeon AquaFarms, supplies caviar to customers through online, retail, restaurant, B2B, B2C, and D2C channels in the first ever “farm-to-spoon” concept. 

Today, Marky’s supplies caviar from over 15 diverse species of sturgeon and non-sturgeon fish. Our online and in-store selection includes the limited and exclusive beluga caviar and other traditional classic black sturgeon caviar, such as osetra caviar and kaluga caviar. In addition to sturgeon caviar, we supply varieties of red non-sturgeon caviar, such as trout and salmon roe, and other non-sturgeon caviars that have become popular across the country, including the notable tobiko sushi caviar, capelin caviar, paddlefish caviar, and bowfin caviar. Furthermore, Marky’s supplies caviar and roe that is fresh, including sturgeon caviar; frozen, including kosher whitefish caviar; and shelf-stable, including dried bottarga. 

Moreover, Marky’s store also sells other gourmet food products that our customers love. We have a vast selection of dairy and cheese online and in-store, with offerings ranging across hundreds of different types of cheeses from a multitude of countries such as the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, the U.K, and more. The varieties of cheese include soft cheese, stinky cheese, hard cheese, aged cheese and others. We’ve noticed some of our customer favorites have come to include truffle cheese, brie, camembert, gouda, parmesan, burrata, and blue cheese. Apart from this, we also supply other delicacies, such as duck foie gras, smoked salmon, fresh black and white truffles, extra virgin olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, spanish meat (jamon and paleta), wild mushrooms, pastas, fruit preserves, macarons, chocolates and more. 

From caviar, to cheese, to foie gras, to seafood, to truffles, to mushrooms, to meats, to desserts, to pantry items, to gifts, Marky’s has the best selection of delicacy, gourmet food products to enjoy during any occasion. Whether you’re hosting a holiday dinner for the whole family, a small wine-and-cheese get together filled with charcuterie, having an intimate night-in with loved ones, or celebrating a special occasion filled with family, friends, and caviar, we have you covered. Additionally, all of our condiments, sauces, spices, and oils and vinegars are designed to improve the taste of our products and elevate your cooking experience to the next level. 

In recent years, Marky’s Caviar Group has expanded its retail trade beyond the scope of B2B and B2C business in order to spread our passion and love for gourmet foods. Our products and caviars fill the shelves of our in-store retail locations, including Marky’s Gourmet Store in Miami, Marky’s Caviar on Madison Ave., and Marky’s Caviar in Brooklyn, so we can continue to educate and provide the public with these delicacies in person. Our restaurant locations include the Caviar & More kiosk located in the Aventura Mall, Marky’s Caviar Lounge in Hollywood, FL, and HUSO, a caviar speakeasy conjoining Marky’s Caviar in New York City.

In recent years, Marky’s Caviar Group has expanded its retail trade beyond the scope of B2B and B2C business in order to spread our passion and love for gourmet foods. Our products and caviars fill the shelves of our in-store retail locations, including Marky’s Gourmet Store in Miami, Marky’s Caviar on Madison Ave., and Marky’s Caviar in Brooklyn, so we can continue to educate and provide the public with these delicacies in person. Our restaurant locations include the Caviar & More kiosk as well as Makino Sushi Bar, both located in the Aventura Mall, Marky’s Caviar Lounge in Hollywood, FL, and HUSO, a caviar speakeasy conjoining Marky’s Caviar in New York City. 

Under the leadership and direction of Marky’s Caviar Executive Chef, Buddha Lo, our restaurant locations (HUSO and Marky’s Caviar Lounge) deliver his respective, unique concepts centered around specially curated dishes across a variety of cuisines. Chef Buddha intricately designs our restaurant menus around the incredible ingredients and products we source and produce, including caviar, in order to provide gastronomic delicacies to food lovers across the country. HUSO landed the Michelin Plate in 2020 and 2021, and Chef Buddha Lo was the winner of Season 19 of Bravo’s Top Chef. Chef Yasu, of our Makino Sushi Bar location, composes bold yet simple dishes that take our sushi counter customers on a culinary adventure with flavors reminiscent of those found in Yasu’s native country of Japan.

Under the leadership and direction of Marky’s Caviar Executive Chef, Buddha Lo, our restaurant locations (HUSO and Marky’s Caviar Lounge) deliver his respective, unique concepts centered around specially curated dishes across a variety of cuisines. Chef Buddha intricately designs our restaurant menus around the incredible ingredients and products we source and produce, including caviar, in order to provide gastronomic delicacies to food lovers across the country. HUSO landed the prestigious Michelin Plate in 2020 and 2021, and Chef Buddha was crowned winner of Seasons 19 and 20 of Bravo’s Top Chef. He's the highly rated show's only twice-victorious contestant!

Our company strictly complies with all legal obligations and coordinates with necessary logistical and organizational structures. Quality control is a key factor to our health and food safety policies. 

Our quality control specialists ensure that customers receive high quality and certified products that are manufactured legally and in an environmentally friendly way. Likewise, Marky’s requires a DNA batch testing for each consignment of caviar. We uphold the stringent standard of processing and properly storing food products, which is confirmed by an authoritative certificate of HACCP. Marky’s also advocates for and assists in the sustainable care of endangered sturgeon species by continuously investing money in their research and development, which encourages the humane breeding and diligent study of beluga and other wild sturgeon species. 

Moreover, our quality control does not only pertain to Marky’s stores, restaurants, and Sturgeon AquaFarms. Our food experts regularly travel around the world to ensure that production and quality safety is upheld by all of the suppliers from whom we source our caviar and other gourmet food products. To obtain a spot on one of Marky's retail or digital shelves, the manufacturer must provide proof that their product is made from natural ingredients and meets all relevant food and safety standards that Marky’s upholds.

• Every jar of caviar is hand-packed at our facility on a per order basis.
• Marky’s is a direct importer, producer, distributor and exporter of caviar in the USA, Ukraine, Germany and Panama.
• We have a long-term partnership with all of our supplying aquafarms which allows us to monitor the entire process, from the caviar harvest to the product’s delivery to our customers.
• We have had long-standing relationships with suppliers of numerous gourmet food products around the world since we first began sourcing these products in the 1980s. 
• We have a successful and sustainable, vertically integrated farm-to-spoon concept via our subsidiary, Sturgeon AquaFarms (SAF).
• Marky’s developed the first international caviar compliance program in conjunction with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services as well as CITES (we comply with all of the CITES requirements).
• Marky’s is a FDA, NOAA, NSF, USF&W and USDA inspected and approved facility.
• Marky’s is a processing and repacking plant, number US-0001, which assures that every shipment of caviar is re-packed in our facility under our labels and under the supervision of our packing specialists.
• Marky’s caviars are genetically verified upon receipt to guarantee authenticity and we were the first company to require DNA batch testing for each species of caviar.
• Marky’s Caviar is HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) certified, when each shipment is received a sample is immediately sent to a lab for testing and inspection.
• Marky’s was the first and only company in the United States to create an educational program for caviar, designed by our specialists to educate consumers and train the trade.
• Marky’s and Sturgeon AquaFarms (SAF) have both been featured in the New York Times, Forbes, Vogue, Time Magazine, Bloomberg, Business Insider, among other notorious and well-respected publications. 
• SAF “Sturgeon Aquafarms” – is currently raising, farming, and supplying the most rare and authentic Caspian sturgeon species – Beluga, Sevruga and Sterlet to the U.S. market. 
• Marky’s Caviar is world renowned and we exhibit every year at numerous food shows such as SIAL, Anuga, the Fancy Food Show, the Boston Seafood Show and more.