Highlights
- Grand Isle Jewels launched in April with $140,000 in state funding, marking Louisiana’s first regional brand for off-bottom cultivated oysters
- Eight local farmers grow oysters in floating cages off Grand Isle, abandoning traditional seafloor harvesting methods
- Individual oysters sell for $1 each at restaurants, compared to traditional bulk sack pricing
- New Orleans and Lafayette restaurants, including Coquette, Peche, and Vestal Restaurant, now serve these boutique oysters
- Part of broader strategy as Louisiana’s $2.4 billion seafood industry adapts to hurricanes and coastal changes
Grand Isle Farmers Launch Premium Oyster Brand
Eight farmers unite under a boutique brand using floating cage cultivation and save Louisiana’s oyster industry.
GRAND ISLE, La. (KPEL News) — Eight oyster farmers off Grand Isle have banded together under a new brand called Grand Isle Jewels, and they’re growing oysters in floating cages instead of harvesting from the bottom.
According to JEDCO, this marks Louisiana’s first regional brand uniting off-bottom oyster cultivation. The farmers suspend their cages in the salty waters off Grand Isle, breaking from 150 years of traditional seafloor harvesting.
What Louisiana Families Need to Know About Grand Isle Jewels
The branding campaign launched in April with $140,000 from the Louisiana Economic Development. The goal: make these cultivated oysters compete with premium brands like Alabama’s Murder Point…