Cape Fear Oyster Company

What if your love of salt water was profound enough to redefine your future? For two friends in Wilmington, NC, salt in their veins led to a lofty idea tossed around a November backyard fire, and quickly became the beginnings of something huge.

While the native North Carolina oyster has a history stretching back to the 1880’s, sustainable oyster farming is relatively new to Southeastern NC. Quantifying the local economic and environmental benefits of the mariculture industry, Scott Burrell and David Wortman founded Cape Fear Oyster Company, with the primary purpose of partnering with mother nature to grow the best NC oyster on the market, and to spread awareness of this home grown product far beyond the confines of New Hanover and Pender Counties.

While still in its infancy today, both David and Scott aspire to trade neck ties for waders and grow Cape Fear Oyster Company into a family enterprise that can be passed on to future generations. Join our mailing list at COMING SOON to see Cape Fear Oyster Company develop ways to bring you, the consumer, quality and sustainable oysters all year long.

About – The Three S’s. (Salinity, Soil Type, and Surrounding Environment).

Much like wine, the flavor of an oyster is defined by its surrounding environment. Oysters are natural filter feeders, relying heavily upon nature to lay the foundation for its final taste or “merroir”. CFOC Farms are 16.6 miles apart by boat, spanning across 2 coastal counties, in an area with Salinity levels nearly equal to that of the Atlantic Ocean. Needless to say, these oysters don’t need any extra salt from your kitchen.

The sandy bottom soil of the farms, coupled with the local environmental elements native to the Cape Fear Region of North Carolina, result in a salty, buttery flavored oyster, with a pleasant sweet finish.

But, you don’t just have to take our word for it. Book an Oyster Farm Tour today to visit our farms, taste our oysters and experience, first hand, how we grow our local NC oysters.

We pride ourselves on being able to plant and harvest a sustainable food source while cleaning the waters where we live.