About Us

De Steurhoeve is one of only two caviar producers in the Netherlands

A very unique and exclusive product from our own soil.
Alongside nougat, honey, and wine, among other things, caviar is also a genuine regional product from the Achterhoek. At the end of 2017, four years after the establishment of the De Steurhoeve farm in Laren, Gelderland, Martin and Sandra Hoentjen began producing caviar. With sparkling eyes, Martin describes their black gold as ‘unique’ and ‘more flavorful than other caviar’. We spoke with the passionate entrepreneurial couple and got to taste the luxury delicacy.

The Holterweg originates in the middle of the village of Laren. Although the first part is characterized by a few shops and residential houses, the surroundings soon transform into a beautiful scenic landscape with farms scattered here and there, featuring vast meadows and fields. Although you might not expect it at first glance, the De Steurhoeve sturgeon farm is located at house number 61. We drive onto the farmyard where Martin, Sandra, and Jeffrey Hoentjen give us a warm welcome. In the cozy farmhouse kitchen, they enthusiastically tell us about the origins of their sturgeon farm. The family business originally started here as a mixed livestock farm. Sandra and her husband Martin switched to breeding eels in 1999 and shifted their focus to sturgeon in 2013.

From eel to sturgeon 2013
Martin and Sandra found a new challenge in breeding sturgeon. The first plans for this originated as early as 2005. “We were approached back then by someone looking for companies to raise sturgeon. The idea was that he would take the fish back the moment they had eggs,” Martin explains. “We went there to see if it suited us and thought almost immediately: what he can do, we can do too,” Sandra continues with a laugh. A period of further research and development followed. “Breeding sturgeon turned out not to be much different from breeding eels, but we were also going to start working with caviar. That was completely new to us.” The couple decided to make the switch to sturgeon and transformed the former cowshed into a sturgeon farm. Martin designed and built the new fish farming systems himself, something he has been very passionate about for over twenty years.

The new farm 2022
We enter the first room where we immediately see several large tanks. This feels a bit like a nursery, because the sturgeon, which are still small, are swimming in most of the tanks. Already quite impressed, this is just the beginning. For in the next room, there are no fewer than 31 even larger tanks, containing adult sturgeon.

Caviar
Caviar is also known as black gold, and consists of the unfertilized eggs of a sturgeon. There are many types of fish eggs, but only the eggs of a sturgeon may be called caviar! Caviar is considered a delicacy and is not a cheap product. This is because it is a long and costly process. It takes years for a sturgeon to start producing eggs; the exact number of years depends on the sturgeon species.

Sandra runs the farm together with her husband Martin and son Jeffrey. Martin is the driving force behind all the systems and technical components of the company. For instance, he designed a system where at least 90% of the water is reused. The entire setup was conceived and designed by Martin to focus on sustainability in multiple areas. For instance, all parts of the fish are used after the caviar has been processed.

**Pure and responsible**

Looking back on the past few years, Martin and Sandra indicate that they are happy with the choice they made. “We are very glad that we took this path,” Sandra says with a smile. Martin continues: “Pioneering wasn't always easy, but we make a very beautiful, pure, and responsible product that we are incredibly proud of. It is nice to mention that Dutch-farmed sturgeon is currently rated green on the Viswijzer. In a few years, our company won't be bigger, but it will be nationally known. We also hope to have a small shop here on location by then where we can showcase our products.”