CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The oyster and clam farming business at Cherrystone Aqua Farm on the Eastern Shore is growing, shipping seafood across the United States with the help of Norfolk International Airport and Southwest Airlines.
The partnership allows fresh clams and oysters to reach landlocked cities like Denver and Las Vegas.
"That’s been a huge benefit for us because not only can we ship with a much larger footprint but with the airport's help we’re able to get our customer much fresher product where we get it there faster as opposed to trucking it," said Jessica Gray, Vice President of Business Development at Cherrystone.
To understand how clam and oyster farming works, News 3 caught up with one of the farmers, he goes by Bubba. When Bubba started working at the farm at 17 years old, the entire operation ran out of one building. Now, because of product demand, Cherrystone produced around 100 million clams and 20 million oysters last year.
"These are oysters that are just coming out, you’re seeing them just like I’m seeing them. Of course all the tumbling and the husbandry that we do promotes that shape," Bubba said.
Workers prepare the oysters for shipment by running them down a tumbler to break the bill back so it is not as feathery.
"And I would say some time in the next 30 days or so this guy will be ready," Bubba told News 3.
With demand from Cherrystone on the rise from business all across the country, Bubba has seen the company go from one building, to a workforce of more than 200 people. Shipping more freight creates more money and jobs on the Eastern Shore, and it encourages more businesses to ship products out of the local airport.
"With the airport's help, we can pack it up in boxes that protect the product and they take good care in getting it there in sometimes less than 24 hours," said Tex Metcalf, Vice President of Sales at Cherrystone
The farm has seen significant growth in its shipping volume recently, shipping a lot to cities in the middle and west, where fresh shellfish is harder to come by.
"I think it’s pretty remarkable that in two years, we’ve shipped in two years almost a million pounds of air freight on Southwest, shipping out of Norfolk, so I think that’s a pretty remarkable number," said Will Leland, Cherrystone's V.P. of Quality Assurance.
So remember, if you go for a nice seafood meal on one of your cross-country excursions, some of that food could have followed you there.
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