MasonEDC Visits Taylor Shellfish Farms
Mason County, WA - The MasonEDC team enjoyed a wonderful and impromptu visit yesterday with one of Mason County’s top employers, Taylor Shellfish Farms. Karin and Tiana met with Wes Taylor, who graciously guided them through a behind-the-scenes tour of the company’s impressive shellfish processing facilities.
The tour began with a look at the receiving area, where large bins of freshly harvested oysters arrive straight from the tidelands. From there, the oysters move through a scrubbing process to remove sediment and debris before being transferred onto a conveyor belt. This belt carries them to the sorting line, where skilled employees carefully examine each oyster—discarding any empty shells or damaged product to ensure only the highest quality shellfish moves forward.
Next, the cleaned oysters are weighed and separated by an automated system that deposits them into weight-specific baskets. These baskets are then transported to Taylor Shellfish’s brand-new wet storage facility, a state of the art addition to their operations. Here, massive holding tanks—organized with the help of cranes—lower pallets of oysters into pristine, sanitized seawater. This not only extends freshness but also further purifies the oysters, ensuring they meet the company’s rigorous quality standards before heading to customers around the globe.
The visit concluded with a stop at the Taylor Shellfish retail store, a local favorite featuring an array of delicious products—from smoked lemon pepper oysters to smoked coho salmon. Visitors can also enjoy hot bowls of clam chowder or freshly smoked salmon on-site.
Taylor Shellfish Farms has been a cornerstone of Mason County’s economy for generations, contributing to both the heritage and the ongoing vitality of the local shellfish industry. MasonEDC is proud to support businesses like Taylor Shellfish Farms, whose dedication to quality, innovation, and sustainable practices keeps our community thriving.
Plan Your Visit
Taylor Shellfish Farm’s Seafood Market is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Located at 130 SE Lynch Rd in Shelton, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a warm cup of fresh chowder and grab a tin of smoked salmon for the road. Whether you’re a longtime local or just passing through, it’s worth the stop for both the food and the experience.
Freshly harvested oysters stacked in large metal baskets, ready to enter the cleaning and sorting system at Taylor Shellfish Farms.
Oysters move through the cleaning system (right) before traveling up a conveyor belt (left) to be hand-sorted by employees, who remove empty shells and older oysters.
Employees carefully sort through oysters, removing any empty shells or older oysters before the product moves on to the weight-sorting conveyor belt.
In the final stage of processing, oysters are sorted by weight through an automated system that deposits them into size-specific baskets.
Weighed oysters drop into size-specific baskets, which will later be stacked on pallets and transferred to the wet storage facility.
A completed pallet of sorted oysters is lifted by crane into the massive wet storage facility, where they continue to be sanitized and kept fresh until distribution.
…and of course, we had to conclude the field trip with a fresh cup of chowder from the seafood market—enjoyed in their beautiful outdoor space.
