Caviar has been in increasingly short supply around the world, as stocks of wild sturgeon have plummeted due to over fishing and environmental degradation. But new farming methods are enabling caviar producers to breed the fish in captivity. One enterprising group of investors are now trying to produce the highly valued fish eggs in tropical Thailand, as CGTN's Tony Cheng reports.

It is the most rarefied of foods.

Formerly the preserve of the Imperial Russian court, today, only available to those who can afford it.

Tiny salted eggs from a prehistoric fish on the edge of extinction in its native habitat.

And that is a long way from here, a small industrial complex outside the Thai town of Hua Hin.

But inside, three and a half thousand sturgeon have found a new home.

The species dates back some 200 million years and is more used to the sub arctic rivers and coastlines of Eurasia than tropical Thailand.

PIAKAEW FISH FARMER "The sturgeon usually lives in the cold stream in northern countries, so these fish are very sensitive on temperature and PH levels. We have to control them carefully."

Due to a rapid depletion of stocks in the wild, sturgeon are now being farmed, never before in the tropics. The challenges are huge. Baby fingerlings were brought from another farm in Chengdu and are now being raised in the chilled and fast moving ponds that recreate their native waters. These fish are only three years old, and won't produce eggs for another 24 months, but the owners have already hatched some grand ambitions.

NOPPADON KAMSAI, PARTNER THAI STURGEON FARM "Now we're focusing on the Thai market but when we have caviar from our farm I think we can export."

While the fully automated farming facility can speed up egg production, nature still needs time.

TONY CHENG HUA HIN, THAILAND "This is the winter room where the sturgeon will be brought for the final part of the process when the fish are nearly ready to release their eggs. The temperature is kept at between 4-6 degrees, and that drop in temperature will then stimulate the sturgeon to release the eggs that will be turned into caviar."

The team behind the farm are already trying to build an appetite with caviar farmed in China. Free samples handed out at a Bangkok bar to test the water, but there's little chance the cost will come down.

ALESHA VOROMIN, PARTNER THAI STURGEON FARM "It's really difficult to do it. You see for the first caviar you have to wait five years. Can you imagine? Every day working for 24 hours."

Of course, Thai food is famous for its spice and big flavours, so are locals ready for something as subtle and rare as caviar?

"It's so amazing" "I'm not going to deny it, I want more."

That sort of reaction is what's getting investors excited and customers who want to try Thai caviar, have two years to save enough money to buy some. Tony Cheng, CGTN, Hua Hin.