Maine Ocean Farms & Biodegradable Oyster Bags

Seasonal announcement: Maine Ocean Farms, which grows the world-class Wet Smack Oysters, will be closing-down for the year after Thanksgiving (don’t worry, they’ll be open again in the spring of 2022)! The Wet Smack oysters have become one of our best-sellers at the Raw Bar and we’re sure going to miss not having them. If you love the Wet Smacks, you can pre-order them now on the SoPo Seafood website for Thanksgiving next week. 
 
We had the honor of joining the Maine Ocean Farms team recently to see behind the scenes of their incredible oyster farming operation, based out of Freeport, Maine. The Maine Ocean team spend a vast amount of time with their oysters, making sure they meet their rigorous grading system and quality control. 

Above, you can see oyster farmer Carter approaching the Maine Ocean Farms float with Erin helping pull him in.

During our trip to Maine Ocean Farms, we were joined by Jacqueline @thebrinybabe. In Jacqueline's words;

“I don’t know if there exists a more perfect oyster shell. A Wet Smack is like picking up a beautiful milky quartz complete with quartz veins. These shells are so perfectly rounded, they are nearly convex, and sometimes takes a double take to figure out which side to shuck. Wet Smacks are petite oysters, measuring between 2.25”-2.75” inches.

It typically takes 2 years for the Wet Smacks to grow to market size. During that time, the Maine Ocean Farms team aggressively handles the oysters, including flipping the cages weekly, and tumbling the oysters monthly to chip away at the new shell growth. This consistent handling produces the Wet Smacks’ signature shape, including a strong shell, plump meat, and nearly geometrically perfect rounded appearance.” 
 

Above, you can see oyster farmers, (from left to right) Mike, Carter, Erin, and Eric - busy grading and sorting Wet Smack and Recompense Cove oysters. It was such a pleasure getting to spend time with this awesome team and see all of the hard work they put into bringing their oysters to market.

Maine Ocean Farms carefully grade their oysters, ensuring only the best ones reach your plate.

Eco-Friendly Oyster Bags

As if the Maine Ocean Farms oysters weren’t awesome enough, their team has pioneered a revolutionary new way to bag oysters. These oyster/shellfish bags are made from 100% Beechwood making them 100% Biodegradable and 100% Compostable – which is so much better than single use plastic mesh oyster bags! 
 
At SoPo, we use the bags whenever possible. If you visit our market or have oysters shipped to your house, we will use these bags! This is just one step towards becoming plastic free that we are so happy to have embraced. 
 
If you are interested in learning more about these wonderful bags, check out their page @oceanfarmsupply and give them a message. 
 
From the SoPo Seafood team, thank you for all you do Maine Ocean Farms!

Above, owner of Maine Ocean Farms, holding Wet Smack Oysters in their biodegradable oyster bags.