key producers

To frame the discussion, the table below lists the key foie gras farms in the United States, including those currently active and a notable historical operation that closed due to legislation: Farm Name Location Years of Operation Status Owners/Operators Production Volume Hudson Valley Foie Gras (HVFG) Ferndale, Sullivan County, New York 1985 – present[26] Active Michael A. Ginor (co-founder & President); Izzy Yanay (co-founder & GM)[27] ~300,000+ ducks per year (approx. 6,000/week)[28][2] – the largest U.S. producer La Belle Farm Sullivan County, New York (near Ferndale) 1999 – present[29] Active Saravia family (Sergio Saravia, President)[29][7] ~130,000–180,000 ducks per year (second-largest producer)[29][30] Au Bon Canard Caledonia (Houston County), Minnesota 2000s – present (founded mid-2000s) Active (small-scale) Christian & Liz Gasset (founders; operated until 2023); Troy (new owner as of 2023)[31] ~2,000 ducks per year (artisan farm)[32] – very small scale, seasonal production Backwater Foie Gras Bush (St. Tammany Parish), Louisiana c. 2019 – present Active (small-scale) Ross McKnight (owner-founder)[33][34] Limited artisanal production (pasture-based; numbers not public, but far smaller than NY farms)[2] Sonoma Foie Gras (Sonoma-Artisan Foie Gras) Near Modesto, California 1986 – 2012[35][36] Closed (banned) Guillermo and Junny Gonzalez (owners)[37] ~500,000 ducks/year at peak (c. 10,000 per week, comparable to HVFG)[32] – ceased due to CA law[19] (Table Notes: “Years of Operation” for active farms indicates founding year to present. Production volumes are approximate and based on reported figures; for small farms exact numbers are not disclosed. Sonoma Foie Gras ceased operating in July 2012 when California’s ban took effect.) Below are detailed profiles of each farm, including legal and welfare issues and other notable facts.

In the early 1980s, commercial foie gras production in the United States was virtually non-existent. Foie gras – the fattened liver of ducks or geese – was a prized French import, but federal bans on importing fresh poultry products meant American chefs could only legally obtain it canned or by illicit means. This changed in the 1980s when a handful of pioneers began raising ducks on U.S. soil for foie gras. Below are the key early ventures and their origins: Commonwealth Enterprises (Ferndale, New York) – precursor to Hudson Valley Foie Gras:Founded around 1982 in New York’s Catskill region by Howard Josephs, a real-estate entrepreneur, with technical guidance from Israeli foie gras experts. Josephs converted a former chicken farm into the nation’s first foie gras duck operation, bringing in Israeli consultants (notably Izzy Yanay, an Israeli-born duck breeder) to replicate techniques used abroad. The farm raised Moulard ducks (a hybrid of male Muscovy and female Pekin) – a sterile crossbreed well-suited to foie gras production. Initial flock size was modest; Josephs kept details secret but was supplying fresh foie gras to chefs by 1983. He chose the Catskills for its cooler climate and rural setting, similar to traditional French foie gras regions. Josephs branded his product “Canard de la Montagne” (French for “Duck of the Mountain”) and distributed it through a specialty foods company in New York. This first American foie gras sold for about $35 per pound to restaurants (pricier than in France) and generated significant buzz in gourmet circles. Hudson Valley Foie Gras (Ferndale, New York) – established 1989/1990:America’s most famous foie gras farm traces its roots to Commonwealth. In the late 1980s, Israeli expert Izzy Yanay parted ways with Commonwealth and teamed up with Michael Ginor, an American ex-Wall Street bond trader turned passionate chef. Ginor, born to Israeli parents, had served in the IDF and “discovered the potential of modern-age foie gras processing” while in Israel – then a world leader in foie gras production. Sensing an opportunity to bring these methods to the U.S., Ginor and Yanay purchased a rundown farm in Ferndale, NY (just down the road from Commonwealth’s site) and launched Hudson Valley Foie Gras (HVFG) in 1990[1]. They continued raising Moulard ducks using refined techniques Yanay had developed (he had found that Moulards, though sterile, were disease-resistant and produced excellent livers). The founders’ motivations were both gastronomic and entrepreneurial: Ginor loved foie gras (he would later author “Foie Gras: A Passion”) and saw growing U.S. demand, while Yanay brought the know-how to supply it. Geography played a role as well – Sullivan County in the Hudson Valley offered a cool climate and proximity to New York City’s restaurant market. HVFG started with relatively small production but quickly became the largest U.S. foie gras producer, eventually acquiring Commonwealth Enterprises and its facilities. This consolidation set the stage for HVFG to dominate the domestic market in the 1990s and beyond. Sonoma Foie Gras (California) – founded 1986:In the west coast wine country, Guillermo Gonzalez and his wife Junny established Sonoma Foie Gras – the first American foie gras farm outside New York[2]. Guillermo was a native of El Salvador who initially encountered foie gras as part of an economic diversification program in Central America. In the mid-1980s, he learned that turnkey foie gras farming projects were being promoted in the region, which sparked his interest. He spent 1985 on a small family farm in Périgord, France, working side-by-side with traditional producers to learn the craft. By his own admission, foie gras was an acquired taste – “I didn’t like it [at first]… You have to develop your palate,” he recalled of his first bite in France[3]. But he acquired the taste and the skills, and in 1986 he relocated to California, purchasing a ranch near Sonoma to start his farm[2]. The initial operation was tiny (just a “small ranch”), and Gonzalez began with purebred Muscovy ducks (rather than hybrids)[4]. Sonoma Foie Gras remained a boutique operation at first – essentially “a David to Hudson Valley’s Goliath” in Guillermo’s words[5] – but it introduced fresh foie gras to the West Coast. The choice of Sonoma County was strategic: the region’s high-end restaurants and wine tourism provided a ready market, and Gonzalez found California’s food culture receptive to an “American-made” foie gras. (Even the company name capitalized on Sonoma’s prestige in food and wine.) By the late ’90s, Sonoma FG had to relocate its growing operation to a larger, USDA-approved facility in California’s Central Valley (Farmington, near Stockton) due to zoning limits in Sonoma, but it retained the “Sonoma” brand for cachet[6]. La Belle Farm (Monticello, New York) – incorporated 1999:Though La Belle began just outside the 1980s, its story is a direct extension of the era’s groundwork. La Belle Farm was founded by the Saravia family, who emigrated from war-torn El Salvador to the U.S. and eventually found work in the Hudson Valley foie gras industry. In fact, the Saravias were employees at Hudson Valley Foie Gras in the ’90s, learning the trade on the farm floor. In 1999, with that expertise in hand, they struck out on their own – establishing La Belle Farm in Sullivan County (the same Catskills area) as a competitor. Co-founded by members of the Saravia and Lee families, La Belle started on a 40-acre farm and remained family-run. While not an ’80s startup per se, La Belle’s precursors were the trained workers and growing demand cultivated in the ’80s. By drawing on Hudson Valley’s techniques, La Belle positioned itself as another source of Moulard duck foie gras for the U.S. market. Over the next decades it grew to produce hundreds of thousands of ducks annually and became, alongside HVFG, the second pillar of New York’s foie gras production. Its late-90s founding also foreshadowed the industry’s concentration – it was “founded by former employees of Hudson Valley Foie Gras”, essentially spinning off from the original farm to create a duopoly in the U.S. market. Other Early Experiments: Not all attempts succeeded. Notably, in 1983–84 an entrepreneur in Ohio named Guy Michiels announced plans for a foie gras farm called Gastrofrance Inc. near Columbus. Michiels, with 20 years in food importing, claimed to have a new non-force-feeding method from the University of Belgium: he would feed Moulard ducks (using a Muscovy–Orpington cross) high-protein grain plus salted water for 18 days, letting the “natural gourmand” ducks fatten themselves without traditional gavage. He projected a massive output of 150,000 ducks a year and a price of ~$25/lb (closer to French prices, undercutting New York’s product). By early 1984 he expected to have samples ready. This ambitious project indicates the buzz around domestic foie gras in the mid-’80s, but there’s little evidence Gastrofrance ever reached commercial production. If it did start, it was short-lived – overshadowed by the entrenched New York and California ventures. The Ohio experiment is an overlooked footnote, showing that American foie gras was not exclusively a bicoastal idea, though ultimately New York and California became the strongholds.

The following table summarizes the known early domestic foie gras ventures in the United States during the 1980s and their key characteristics: Producer (Location) Founders/Key People Founded (Approx) Species & Breed Scale (approximate, in 1980s) Initial Markets and Notes Commonwealth Enterprises (Ferndale, New York) – precursor to Hudson Valley Foie Gras Howard Josephs (NY businessman); Izzy Yanay (Israeli foie gras expert, consultant). ~1982 (producing by 1983) Ducks – Moulard hybrids (Muscovy × Pekin). Small startup scale. In 1983, supplying a limited number of foie gras lobes weekly to East Coast restaurants (plans to expand greatly, e.g. an Ohio partner aimed for 150k ducks/year, which never materialized). First American producer of fresh foie gras. Used converted chicken farm in Catskills with Israeli guidance. Branded product as “Canard de la Montagne”, sold at ~$35/lb (wholesale). Initial clients were top French restaurants in NYC and Washington, DC (e.g. Jean-Louis at Watergate, Le Pavillon). Kept operations secretive (no public farm visits). Hudson Valley Foie Gras (HVFG) (Ferndale, New York) Michael Ginor (American ex-bond trader/chef) and Izzy Yanay (Israeli duck breeder). 1989–90 (launched operations in 1990)[1] Ducks – Moulard. Moderate start, quickly growing. Initial capacity on launch was in the low thousands of ducks, scaling up significantly through the 1990s. (Eventually processing ~5,000 ducks/week by 2000s). Formed after Yanay left Commonwealth in late ’80s. Purchased Commonwealth’s farm, consolidating NY operations. Became the largest U.S. foie gras producer. Emphasized fully integrated farm-to-table model (breeding to processing). Marketed foie gras nationwide via distributors like D’Artagnan, with focus on New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago fine dining. Co-founders brought international expertise: Ginor was inspired by Israel’s foie gras industry, Yanay by new breeding innovations (Moulard duck). Location in Sullivan County offered proximity to NYC chefs and a cool climate. Sonoma Foie Gras (Sonoma County, California; later based in San Joaquin Valley) Guillermo Gonzalez and Junny Gonzalez (immigrants from El Salvador)[13]. 1986[2] Ducks – initially Muscovy breed (large duck), later also Moulard. Very small at inception (family farm with dozens of ducks), gradually expanding. By early 1990s, still a boutique output; by 2001, producing 1,500–3,000 livers per week (~80k–150k/year). Only West Coast producer; ~20,000 ducks on farm by 2003[6]. First foie gras farm on the West Coast. Guillermo trained in France (Périgord) for a year and vetted legality at UC Davis before starting[10]. Originally located on a small Sonoma ranch (close to wine country restaurants). Early market primarily San Francisco Bay Area fine dining, expanding to Los Angeles and national mail order. Promoted as an artisanal, Wine Country product, pairing well with California wines. Emphasized traditional hand-feeding in group pens (positioned as more humane and flavor-friendly). Relocated to larger facility in 1998 due to USDA and zoning constraints. La Belle Farm (Monticello, New York) The Saravia family (Salvadoran-American family, including Erasmo and Mario Saravia) and Lee family. (Founders were former HVFG employees). 1999 (incorporated) Ducks – Moulard. Not applicable in the 1980s (started later). Early 2000s: grew to a mid-size operation; by 2020s, ~180,000 ducks/year (making it #2 U.S. producer alongside HVFG). Though founded at the end of the ’90s, its origins trace to the ’80s/’90s Hudson Valley farm (the Saravias learned foie gras husbandry working for HVFG). Located near HVFG in Sullivan County, NY. Supplies many of the same markets (NYC restaurants, specialty retailers). Family-run, it markets itself on quality control and farm-direct distribution (through Bella Bella Gourmet). La Belle’s emergence created a New York foie gras duopoly with HVFG, a structure hinted by the close community of workers in the early industry. Sources: Contemporary articles, interviews, and retrospectives on these producers, as cited throughout this report. These farms and their founders were the trailblazers of American foie gras, setting in motion the trends, practices, and debates that would follow in subsequent decades. [1] NY-based Jewish chef, foie gras maker dies during Iron Man competition in Israel | The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/ny-based-jewish-chef-foie-gras-maker-dies-during-iron-man-competition-in-israel/ [2] [3] [4] [5] [7] [8] [9] [13] Foie Gras | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties https://bohemian.com/foie-gras-1/ [6] [10] [12] Sonoma Is Front Line in War Over Foie Gras - Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-29-me-foiegras29-story.html [11] Contested Tastes: Foie Gras and the Politics of Food - Chapter 1 http://assets.press.princeton.edu/chapters/s10708.pdf