
I. The "Chinese Miracle" of Caviar Export: From Fish Farms to International Dining Tables
When 60% of the world's caviar carries the "Made in China" label, this "new Chinese specialty" during the Spring Festival is reshaping the landscape of international high-end food trade. As a veteran in foreign trade with 20 years of experience, I have witnessed the remarkable transformation of Chinese caviar from obscurity to becoming a favorite in premium markets like the United States and Japan.
The success code is actually quite simple:
- Quality Revolution: Chinese sturgeon farming technology has reached world-leading levels
- Cost Advantage: Mass Production Makes "Black Gold" More Affordable
- Customs clearance facilitation: Comprehensive "end-to-end" customs supervision and services provide a safeguard.
II. The First Step in Customs Clearance: The "Duet" of Filing and Registration
I remember in 2018 when helping a Zhejiang company with their first caviar export, we stumbled at the filing stage. Now the process has been optimized to be as smooth as caviar:
Farm Registration:Log in to the "Internet + Customs" platform and locate the "Export foodThe registration portal for "Raw Material Breeding Farm" typically completes the process within 20 working days after submitting the application. Special reminder: The environmental testing report for the breeding waters must be prepared in advance!
Processing Plant Registration:Here's a "hidden level"—if your target market is the U.S., the EU, etc., you'll also need a recommendation for registration from the General Administration of Customs. Last year, a client skipped this step, and $300,000 worth of goods got held up at Dutch customs—a painful lesson learned!
III. Customs Technical Guidance: Your "Quality Steward"
Customs supervision is by no means simply "nitpicking," but rather a genuine form of technical assistance. Last year, Qingdao Customs helped our clients improve three key processes:
- Raw Material Inspection: Established sturgeon egg grading standards, increasing premium product yield by 15%
- Sanitation Control: Introduced HACCP system, passing EU surprise inspections
- Cold Chain Traceability: Full-chain temperature monitoring from farming to transportation
Special kudos to the customs' "preventive supervision"—they come to check the health of the sturgeon every quarter, even more attentive than the breeders themselves!
IV. Quotas and Certificates: The Essential "Passports" to Obtain
Heres the key point! As a CITES Appendix II species product, caviar is useless without these two certificates:
Export Quotas:For the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs declaration system, its recommended to start monitoring it every November. Last year, a client missed the seasonal quota by submitting materials just 3 days late, resulting in significant losses.
Wildlife Import and Export Certificates:Here's a little tip for your "Single Window" application—save the Latin names of products and CITES codes as templates for quick access next time, doubling your efficiency!
V. The "Golden Rules" of Processing and Storage
Having witnessed too many companies "flip" at this stage, we've distilled three golden rules:
- Winter feeding cannot be skipped:Mother sturgeons must be kept in ice water for a full 60 days. Last year, a company cut corners and ended up with caviar that completely lost its distinctive flavor.
- Complete packaging information is mandatory:All three items - record number, batch number, and certificate number - are essential. Japanese clients are particularly strict about this.
- Unbroken cold chain is critical:Maintain -3°C to 0°C throughout processing and transportation. A temperature variation exceeding 2°C may result in rejected shipments.
VI. Customs Clearance in Practice: The "Relay Race" from Origin to Port
We recently handled a New York order with a textbook-perfect customs clearance process:
Step 1:Submit the declaration on the "Single Window" platform 72 hours in advance, with accompanying documents including health certificates, test reports, quota approval documents, etc. (recommended to be compiled into a PDF collection).
Step 2:During customs inspection, proactively provide temperature logger data and verify packaging labels on-site, completing the inspection in 20 minutes.
Step 3:The port customs conducted a random inspection, and due to the "pre-cooling container" treatment (refrigeration activated 24 hours before transportation), the shipment was smoothly cleared.
Remember: Exporting caviar is like caring for a delicate "princess"—every step must be handled with gentleness. Now, China's caviar export channels are highly mature. As long as we follow the rules, this "black pearl" is destined to shine on the world stage!