About Us - Weskeag Oyster Farm
Dr. Ralph Hamill, oyster farmer and cardiologist says, "oysters are heart healthy!"
Our Story
Our oysters are farmed on over seven acres of the beautiful Weskeag river estuary in South Thomaston, Maine. The farm was established in 2000 and was quite small in the early days until we built an upweller in 2013. This required deeper water so we purchased the historic Kittredge property on the banks of the river and have been growing here and expanding the farm ever since.
We must tell you about our friend George Kittredge who made this spot famous when he lived here. George was a submarine captain in WWII. Upon retiring from the navy he developed a business building one-person submarines. (A very cool bicycle-powered design prototype can be seen at our farm.) Turns out the song Yellow Submarine has become the farm anthem for good reason... visitors start singing when they see the sub on the property! This inspired us to name an oyster after George.
We feature two methods of growing
Our bottom-grown oysters are called SUBMARINES to recognize George's incredible work in and under the sea.
Our floating bag top-grown oysters are called SNOW POINTS after the narrow spit where the upweller is located. It is the site of the first house built in South Thomaston that was owned by Isaah Snow. The site was chosen for the proximity to the Weskeag River's reversing falls and commanding views up and down the river.
The Weskeag River flows with the tide through an extensive salt marsh providing our oysters with a rich mixture of nutrients resulting in an oyster with a unique, full buttery taste and a perfect briny yet sweet finish.
Our Team:
We've been farming on this river for more than 10 years, growing some of the sweetest oysters on the coast of Maine. We pride ourselves on having two father/daughter teams advancing aquaculture skills and building our seafarm business.
Meet Aubrie and her dad Kevin who make sure our "Submarines" and "Snow Point" varieties are top shelf. Yes, there can be eye-rolling when the bad dad jokes come out, but we sure like to have fun and enjoy our beautiful "office" on the water!
Meet Chuck(human) and Gus(canine). Chuck retired from driving for UPS this summer. Having grown up on the water, Chuck is a natural on the farm... in addition to knowing just about everyone within a 20 mile radius. Gus is Chuck's shadow and our favorite farm mascot.
Keeping our Carbon Footprint Low
We honor and protect the waters and land we reside and work on so we'll keep improving our carbon footprint in our operation. We've added solar power to run our pumps and refrigerators and donate a percentage of sales to ocean conservation.
