Think of the end at the beginning
At the very start of my entry into oyster aquaculture, I was assigned a mentor. This person had been in the business on the New England coast for over a decade and was successfully raising and selling his oysters wholesale to numerous businesses. He STARTED our interaction with this question; What is your exit strategy? I was stunned. I was just starting out so why would he ask me that? Nothing he said following those 5 words resonated, but here I am, eight years later and those words have come home.
I now have an exit strategy. It is one I am slowly, cautiously growing into. It is comfortable. Right for me. And, seemly great for my successor. It also has an outcome that will continue to provide those wonderful Oyster Bay-raised oysters to every one of my customers for years to come.
Started, then stopped
I began thinking of leaving the very labor and time-intensive oyster farming work in January 2020. I would be at retirement age by government and societal standards that year, had been going at it strong for 9 years. I wanted a bit more free time in my life. I had been balancing a full-time position at The Nature Conservancy AND OysterMom’s multitude of responsibilities. My candle was burning down. I did some research, talked to some professionals and then, the coronavirus hit. At that time, most farmers in my area were selling only wholesale to restaurants in our area, I had a solid retail following and those customers wanted oysters and were willing to shuck their own! I expanded and began to purchase from additional farmers and sell their oysters to hungry Tallahassee area oyster eaters. It was CRAZY busy. Thousands of oysters moved through my warehouse week after week. Farmers would unload their harvest and by 6 pm that night, my refrigerator was bare.
Later that year, in a pandemic-generated restructuring at the Conservancy I retired after 29 years of conservation work. It was the right time for me, and a cost-saving move for TNC. I threw myself into oystering. I bought more oyster seed than ever before, hired two part-time staff, and went at it wholeheartedly. Each day brought new challenges, and new thoughts about the business and my future within it. Exciting, yes. All consuming, yes.
Let’s do this
In January 2022, I reopened the idea of selling the oyster farm and quietly began to get the word out to the oyster farming community.
A few conversations ensued but none of them felt right. I kept whispering my intent. Then in March, Cole, an employee from 2019 who had graduated from Lively to pursue a career in welding came in to buy oysters and reconnect. I asked if he’d like to go out on the farm with me that coming week – for old times’ sake. He jumped at the opportunity and told me all the time he was off welding, he couldn’t stop thinking about life on the water, oystering. Cole continued to show up. I put him back on my payroll. His enthusiasm grew as did his knowledge and comfort with the business of tending an oyster farm. In August, we entered the law offices of a long-time oyster customer and signed the papers. My lease, equipment, boats, and oysters were now in the proud and capable ownership doing business as the Southern Oyster Company. We beamed with pride, joy, and excitement as we downed several late-morning brews at Ology Northside. The succession plan was in place. Cole, at just 23 years old, with guidance from me and his very capable father, had his own business and was over the top happy. The right person. Great timing. Smooth exit.
Still OysterMom
Several months have passed. I had a short bout of an identity crisis immediately following the sale, but soon realized I was STILL OysterMom as I sold the oysters Cole harvested weekly for me to fulfill customer orders. My marketing, social media, sales, and catering continued. I had relinquished the day-to-day farming tasks, risks, and responsibilities but the rest of OysterMom was still intact.
Time to do other activities.
I traveled. First to the beach, then Arizona to visit my daughter. I joined the Facebook group Florida Women on Kayaks on a night paddle in the bioluminescent waters surrounding NASA’s spacecraft as it rested on the launchpad. Then waterfall and fall foliage hikes in the Georgia mountains with a new friend. In November I joined my hubby on a road trip to Delaware and New Jersey to visit friends and support our local team in a pool tournament. It has been freeing! I bought an e-bike and ride often when home, I’ve been back on the Wacissa twice with my kayak and have reconnected with long-neglected friends and family. The shrubs are trimmed, flower beds weeded and my closets organized. A bag of hard-used oyster farming clothes went into the trash. I am making travel plans to visit Baja California on a birding trip and a journey back to my high school foreign exchange country, El Salvador. Semi-retired, I can and have been taking advantage of the time to do whatever comes to mind.
Meanwhile, Cole has launched his oyster business as the Southern Oyster Company. I am still OysterMom, selling his oysters and loving the partnership we have created.
Thank you for taking this journey with me, for your support, your purchases, and your love of oysters. I will be around for a little while longer.
Cheers,
Still OYSTERMOM, Keller
