Dropping country label makes Italian caviar hot in Russia

Rome

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin is determined to make European exporters pay for the West's opposition to his Ukraine policy. Up to a point.

When Russia imposed a trade embargo on imported foods in August last year, caviar was spared from the list, helping an Italian sturgeon farm to infiltrate Mr Putin's homeland. From a standing start in 2012, Agroittica Lombarda SpA, Europe's biggest producer of the "food of the Czars", now counts Russia as the most important country destination for its luxury product.

But there's a trick. "We've had to put a Russian brand name on the tin, and we don't put 'Made in Italy' on it," said Lelio Mondella, managing director of Agroittica. "The Russians want to eat Russian caviar. I understand t…