Matakana Oysters

The Green Shed

 

Every oyster farmer has a base to process the oysters for oyster consumers. The Green Shed is where we split, size, sort and process the oysters. Oysters that are naturally caught on a stick are clumped together and need gentle prising apart so they do not break, this is splitting and takes time, patience, a strong wrist and a mind that can block the madness of monotony. Many a person has fallen at the oyster splitting table but it is the basis for good oysterers. Oysters are then sent to the food safety, ultra high tech opening room where they are cleaned lovingly and shucked using an air chisel oyster shucking knife and packed for sale for the people who come near and far.

 

Through a mixture of luck, hard endeavour, dealings and wheelings we proudly produce a thumbs up awesome oyster that should tell you you’ve just tasted Neptune’s secrets when you eat it. We use real oystermen who have beards and look like pirates to tenderly grow our top molluscs. We were taught how to grow oysters from a Bohemian oyster farmer who was one of the pioneers of Pacific Oyster farming in NZ. We had no gloves, no waders and had to carry caught oyster bundles on each shoulder and walk in mud up to our knees for a wee distance. We are the lords of the oyster cream, bringing people together, closer. Anybody can enjoy the King of Shellfish as we believe in OYSTERS FOR THE PEOPLE!! not oysters for those who can afford them...