Family's caviar rivals that from Caspian Sea

By Mitchell Kline, The Tennessean

FRANKLIN - When Nashville resident Linda Albertalli was looking for caviar to impress a dinner guest from Russia, she didn't go far.

Albertalli found what she wanted in the basement of a home just outside of Franklin, in the Cross Creek subdivision, where JoAnn DeFriese runs a mail-order business called Continental Caviar. DeFriese and her husband, Laban, started the business in the late 1970s, slowly convincing many caviar connoisseurs that salted paddlefish eggs are just as tasty as anything from the Caspian Sea.

Albertalli said she was introduced to Continental Caviar after winning a tin at a silent auction. She's eaten caviar for most of her life and considers it a luxury item that she enjoys once or twice a year. More familiar with caviars from Russia or Iran, Albertalli was leery when she tried her first spoonful of paddlefish roe.

"I was blown away," Albertalli said. "You're telling me I can mail order this from Franklin, Tennessee, and it's as good as anything I've had from around the globe? I think it's great."

The DeFrieses went to great lengths to turn those with discerning pallets toward their paddlefish caviar. They entered it in blind taste tests and offered samples to the rich and famous. Among their most prominent client in the mid-1980s was Coca-Cola billionaire Jack Lupton. The couple made connections with yacht clubs, New York socialites and cruise lines. Continental Caviar has won several gourmet food awards. The business sold wholesale until 1986, when JoAnn, who is 73, took over operations and began selling smaller amounts to individuals.

Behind the scenes

Before they moved to Williamson County in 1999, the DeFrieses lived in Chattanooga, once considered the caviar capital of the South. When introducing their caviar to people, they often said it came from the "Chattanooga beluga," because it sounded better than paddlefish. The paddlefish produces an egg similar in size and color to the sevruga, which swims in the Caspian Sea.

Today, the DeFrieses' caviar comes from fish raised in Kentucky. The eggs are processed and packaged in five-pound buckets, then shipped to her home. A kitchen in the basement is where the DeFrieses divide the caviar into smaller quantities and package in tins. Orders are cold-packed and shipped overnight via FedEx.

JoAnn said the caviar business is highly competitive. Several fishermen they have bought from have attempted to start their own caviar companies. JoAnn said she tries to keep things such as her supplier, price and names as secret as she can. She sold caviar through a Web site but stopped because she said she believes competitors were able to gather too much information about her business. She said one competitor even stole terms she used to describe her caviar.

Economy affects business

The sluggish economy has pushed caviar sales down. Most of Continental Caviar's paddlefish roe is sold at wholesale to companies that sell it to cruise lines, restaurants and specialty food stores. Continental Caviar had close to $1 million in sales in 2007. That dropped to $300,000 last year. DeFriese said she's sold about $100,000 worth of caviar this year.

"The distributors that would buy 5,000 to 10,000 pounds are now only buying 1,200 pounds," DeFriese said. "The cruise lines that buy from them just aren't buying much."

While Laban DeFriese, once a state legislator, has stepped away from the business, the DeFrieses' sons have become involved. They not only help mom package the product and offer business strategy, but also offer quality control, such as taste testing.

JoAnn said she thinks her boys will eventually take over the business.

"They've been helping me more in the last two or three years," she said. "I've needed their help. We cut back on expenses and doing everything at home helps."

Fresh from Cross Creek

Continental Caviar sells paddlefish caviar by mail.

The caviar sells for $18 per ounce and comes in 2-, 4- and 14-ounce tins.

To contact the company, call 615-599-7727.