The cercle des huîtres is first and foremost a family project
Shellfish farming in the Etang de Thau
Having travelled the world through our professional experiences in aquaculture and agriculture, the discovery of the Bassin de Thau and its shellfish production in particular, led us to set down our suitcases in Bouzigues and embark on an oyster-farming adventure.
It was an obvious choice for us; we were won over by the farmhouse’s human scale, its location, its traditional production methods and the superior quality of its oysters.
What’s more, oyster farming emits almost no greenhouse gases, and consumes no borehole water, fertilisers or food. Production that respects the environment!
It has to be said that we also love ADVENTURE !
Production techniques.
We are on the Thau lagoon, an oasis of life linked to the Mediterranean; the absence of large tides gave rise in the early 20th century to a method of production on “tables”, metal structures anchored to the sediment. There are 2,500 of these in the Etang for around 450 producers.
The oysters are suspended from these structures, stuck to ropes or placed in crates.
We have five production tables equipped with rotating poles that allow us to lift the oysters out of the water, exposing them to the sun and wind, and producing “EXONDEES” oysters.
EXONDÉES, what's that?
These are very fleshy oysters known as SPECIAL, with firm flesh and a slightly sweet iodised taste with hints of hazelnut.
To obtain the very best quality oysters, we manually remove the oysters from the water once a week to stimulate them. The oysters close up, strengthen their muscles and fill out with flesh. In other words, THEY DO SPORTS! And they do this throughout the two-year production cycle.
Born in the pond: 100% local oysters
We do our own natural catching. We use collectors to catch the oyster larvae that are born in the pond every summer, and produce our own NAISSAIN. This is still a very rare practice in the Etang de Thau, where almost all the eggs come from the Atlantic.
A gentle, traditional method
Our low-intensity method, with low densities, gives the oysters a better diet.
The oysters are harvested and cleaned by hand, avoiding excessive stress on the shellfish.
