About our products

We have a passion for sustainability & our products alike, so for us its less about where you buy and more about empowering you with the information you need to make informed decisions on both where you would like to buy your produce and what type of produce you would like to buy.

There are both myths and interesting facts related to oysters & mussels and so here’s a brief intro about our products to get you up to speed.

SETTING THE STANDARD

Along the stormy Atlantic ocean, lies the pristine waters of Saldanha bay, home to our harvest. From the onset, our vision was to ensure that these two magical products of the ocean are purveyed at the highest possible standard, setting the bar for others to follow.

PURGING PRODUCE

This is what makes our produce so exceptional above any other setting us apart. We have huge purging facilities (massive sea water aquariums) which hold pristine sea water that is run through incredibly high tech equipment, including bio filters, ozone and UV light. UV light is able to 100% irradicate any trace of micro-organism which may affect flavour or your safety. Our oysters are kept in this facility for 24 hours. Through this filtration process, the oysters are exposed to the best of the best waters and are able to rid themselves of any unwanted matter. The result, pure, superior quality and flavour.  

SEASONALITY

Summers higher water temperatures trigger the natural spawning cycle in oysters and mussels. Winter months will therefore always result in richer, plumper and more magnificent products.

SALDANHA BAY

Pristine waters fed by the icy, nutrient rich Benguela current, provides some of the finest growing conditions in the southern hemisphere. These conditions directly Influence the flavour of our products. To many, this natural deep-water site produces some of the best oysters and mussels and is home to almost all oysters & mussels Farmed in southern Africa.

SUSTAINABILITY

By choosing to consume these two jewels from the ocean, you’re making a conscious decision to assist mother nature in restoring her fish stocks and the sensitive eco systems and patterns which govern our existence. Mussels and oysters are amongst the most sustainable food sources in the world.

HOW WE GROW MUSSELS

The mussels naturally settle on long ropes suspended off anchored rafts. These ropes replicate kelp like tendrils and descend deep into the blue, drifting freely in the ocean currents.

After 12 months of mother nature performing her work, we haul our ocean harvest from the depths, producing the world’s finest oysters and mussels.

HOW WE GROW OYSTERS

Our oysters feed off the nutrient rich tidal movements of the bay while suspended from long lines that floats just below the ocean surface.

WILD VS FARMED

Everything is farmed within the bay of Saldanha at Sea. They’re exposed to all the same conditions as wild oysters. Interestingly though, farmed produce is maintained through a process called tumbling whereby they are removed from the ocean every 2-3 months, cleaned of the dense thick bio matter which grows on their shells and replanted. The result is that the oysters spend less time fighting for food, space and clean water and spend more time drifting in the ocean. Arguably they could be as good as wild, if not better.

TESTING

Our farms undergo some of the strictest testing in the world, we’re governed by DAFF the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and we have incredibly strict standards which need to be adhered to. These standards are in fact so high, that they are well above any level which may pose a threat to your health. Our produce is administered and tested daily through independent laboratories in Cape Town which monitor every form of bacteria and micro-organisms. Any trace above required levels results in immediate closure and 3 consecutive cleared tests need to be produced before a letter of reopening is issued.

MORE ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS: MUSSEL & OYSTER FACTS

FOOD

Mussels

  • Mussels can float in the water for several years as an embryo until they find something to attach to to begin the growing process.
  • It takes 8 months for a mussel to grow to harvest size
  • They are the most sustainable seafood in the world
  • They are filter feeders
  • They can only survive in very clean water conditions
  • A single drop line of 6 meters in the water can carry nearly ½ a ton of mussels
  • Ounce for ounce mussel contain more protein than beef, less fat, more nutrients and a quarter of the calories

 

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Oysters

  • Our oysters are pacific oysters
  • They do not produce pearls so a find is very rare
  • They are intersexual
  • They have been around for more than 180 million years
  • Their blood is colourless
  • They filter 200 litres of water per day = 266 bottles of wine…
  • Oysters are not an aphrodisiac but we can’t say the same about champagne
  • The water quality is so high in Saldanha that the oysters grow nearly 3 times faster than anywhere else in the world.

RED TIDE

Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom whereby large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms become toxic. It is most identifiable when the surface of the water takes on a reddish brown colour. The result is that feeding shellfish become toxic due to the build-up of toxins in the water.

There are two main types of red tide to be aware of, DSP and PSP.

  • In both cases you cannot eat shellfish during this period. However DSPs effects will cause nausea and diarrhoea and are considered mild. This is the most common of red tide illnesses.
  • PSP however has far more alarming effects and is known as Paralytic shellfish poisoning but to date there has never been a recorded case of PSP in South Africa.
  • Red tide is heavily monitored by the industry and government alike with multiple tests being run by many independent labs on a daily basis. We have some of the strictest and highest required testing in the world here in South Africa.
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What We Offer

Trust! We are the only specialist company in Southern Africa with a key focus in purveying the highest grade of live oysters & mussels available to South Africans. Our sustainably farmed produce is hauled from the icy depths of our Saldanha Bay farms every Friday morning and delivered live and directly to your door, same day.

Would you like to order?

By choosing to consume these two jewels from the ocean, you’re making a conscious decision to assist mother nature in restoring her fish stocks and the sensitive eco systems and patterns which govern our existence. Mussels and oysters are amongst the most sustainable food sources in the world.