When you and I were in university drinking snakebite, playing Mario Kart and doing everything humanly possible to avoid attending seminars, Hermes Gehnen had very different ideas.
The young entrepreneur founded his hugely successful caviar house N25 while he was still studying at university in Munich.
Through immersing himself in years of research on caviar production, Gehnen developed and refined a unique method for the maturation process that highlights the elegant natural flavours of caviar.
In an incredibly short time, he’s built the brand from obscurity to being the preferred serve at many of the Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK.
We caught up with Gehnen to find more about his journey.
Square Mile: Tell us about your upbringing.
Hermes Gehnen: Being half German and half Chinese growing up in Beijing, food was always a focus in my life and a significant topic of discussion in our family. Being exposed to multiple cultural backgrounds was really special as I got to experience different cuisines. With that, my interest in gastronomy grew.
SM: When was the first time you remember tasting caviar? And was it love at first bite?
HG: I was 12 when I first tried caviar. It was completely out of curiosity because caviar didn’t resemble any normal food I was eating. It was indeed love at first bite: the flavour profile was so complex and difficult to describe, unlike anything I’ve tasted – I was fascinated.
SM: What made you decide to start selling it?
HG: During my time at university, I discovered that the best caviar comes from China. Out of sheer curiosity and passion for gastronomy, I searched for the best sturgeon farms when I went home during the summer holidays to immerse myself in the caviar world. It was exciting to experiment with the ageing process and create something different. From then on, I knew establishing N25 and selling caviar was my true calling, because I love the process of caviar-making and feel grateful to be working alongside the best chefs in the world.
SM: Where does the N25 name come from?
HG: The name pays homage to the origin of the brand. It represents the location of the first sturgeon farm N25 operated with. Today, the name often reminds me of how I started and where I am now, as we now source sustainably from multiple aquaculture facilities.
SM: China farms approximately one-third of the world's caviar – what makes N25 different?
HG: We keep exceptional relationships with our farming partners. With these carefully maintained relationships, N25 always has the first pick on the sturgeons for harvest, ensuring that the caviar roe is already of the best quality.
However, the real magic happens during the maturation process in Germany that fundamentally sets N25 apart. After curing the caviar with German mineral salt to effectively draw out moisture through osmosis, the roe with high-fat content is now ready to withstand the ageing process in our sub-zero temperature chamber.
The ageing process is specific to each species of sturgeon and can take months of precision and patience. The resulting caviar then undergoes strict visual and sensory quality control, at the hands of our caviar masters who abide by strict selection parameters.
From this meticulous grading process, only the top 10% of the roe that meet all the stringent criteria receive the prestigious N25 label.
SM: Talk us through the selection/quality control process.
HG: After the ageing process, the caviar then undergoes strict visual and sensory quality control, at the hands of our caviar masters who abide by strict selection criteria.
The characteristics in the criteria include size, colour, texture, maturity, aroma, lucidity, roe uniformity and most importantly flavour profile, ensuring that every tin of N25 caviar is consistent in quality and elegant in flavour for the perfect caviar experience.
From this meticulous grading process, only the top 10% of the roe that meet all the stringent criteria receive the prestigious N25 label.
SM: Just about every fine-dining restaurant in London seems to be serving N25 now. Talk us through how you’ve managed such amazing growth?
HG: The foundation of the brand was always based on quality: this value became the anchor of word-of-mouth recommendations through chefs and professionals in the industry. The strategy from the beginning was to position ourselves as a global brand and tap into major international markets whilst establishing brand equity and awareness in the culinary, hospitality and luxury spaces.
While we have achieved many milestones on this journey, our pursuit of perfection and quality consistency has never faltered, which ultimately strengthened our growth with new clients. In recent years, we noticed that many private clients love our caviar after trying it at restaurants, so we launched our online boutique for people to take the same caviar experience home.
SM: Talk to us about Umai – how does it differ from N25?
HG: With the knowledge and experience of producing N25 Caviar, Umai was launched last year to make caviar more approachable and playful. I wanted to inspire more interest in consumers with Umai to showcase creative and multifaceted ways of enjoying caviar.
Fundamentally, Umai differs from N25 as it offers caviar in flavour profiles rather than specific sturgeon species.
With the two flavour profiles of “Heritage” and “Modern” in the range, Umai simplifies caviar consumption, allowing consumers to choose their desired tin without requiring extensive knowledge of this delicacy.
SM: We notice from your site that you have a wines/champagnes section. Is this an area in which you’re hoping to diversify your offering?
HG: Alongside food, wine has always been a great passion of mine. Our international website is already stocked with a range of astounding wines available for our EU clients.
In the UK, we started importing and distributing a selection of wine to exclusive restaurants. However, it’s not a focus point for the business, but rather a nice add-on for our clients.
SM: What’s next for N25?
HG: After years of supplying the top chefs in the haute cuisine world, we want to spread more caviar knowledge and N25 experiences to private clients.
Additionally, we have just launched N25 Caviar in the USA and UAE. These will be the new focus markets for growth in the coming years.
See more at n25caviar.co.uk and umai-caviar.co.uk
