Exposure outside Cape Region needed
Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, sat down with oyster farmers Aug. 31, when they pushed for more marketing help.
Delaware oysters, with their salty taste, are a popular commodity in the Cape Region, but don’t have a far reach beyond the Eastern Shore boundaries.
Carol Friend of Friends Clams & Oysters was one of several oyster farmers who met with Carper at the University of Delaware campus in Lewes asking for help to get the word out about Delaware oysters.
“If people don’t ask for them, it limits it,” she said. “You’ve got to be able to sell the product.”
Oyster farmers, many of whom are small business owners, must harvest and sell their product to pay the state for leases, leaving little money left to market their oysters.
“We’re fighting that battle of getting our name out there and getting that market,” said Jesse Atkinson, owner of Delaware Delicious Oysters.