Terra Madre Delegate Profile -
Sally Eason, aquaculturist and caviar farmer
Sunburst Trout Company - Canton, NC
www.sunbursttrout.com

Nestled in the lush hills of The Blue Ridge Mountains, where you're more likely to think of good old-fashioned barbecue than fresh seafood, the Sunburst Trout Company is at the forefront of sustainable caviar production. Sally Eason, the owner of Sunburst Trout, learned the business of raising trout from her father and turned a product that was formerly considered a nuisance-trout roe-into a delicacy prized by chefs and consumers.

It has only been a few years since industry groups like Caviar Emptor and Sea Web began aggressive efforts to call attention to the drastic decline of Beluga Sturgeon, and though US government has acknowledged that the species is "threatened," it has yet to take substantial action to curb the massive importation of Beluga caviar. More and more, caviar from farm-raised species is a plausible and positive alternative. Sunburst Trout Company's Trout Caviar is vibrant orange in color and has a delicate taste and texture that is both subtle and refreshing.

While Sally has been working on trout roe for nearly twenty years, it is only the recent consciousness of consumers and food professionals to pay more attention to protecting endangered species that has given rise to greater awareness of sustainable aquaculture. The quality of the environment is maintained in every step of production, from the use of low-phosphorus feeds to the composting of waste into natural fertilizer that is used by local farmers and gardeners.

Today, Sally is not only touting the environmental (and taste) benefits of her trout caviar, but also consults with groups of farmers in Armenia to aid in the development of sustainable aquaculture systems. In the past, useable parts of the fish were discarded. Today, sustainability not only includes environmentally sound techniques, but the use of the entire fish, from the fillet to the roe. -Allen Katz, Slow Food New York City