Fork to Farmer: Crystal Coast Oysters
Client: People First Tourism Lab
About the Project
It's a bit of an understatement to say Kyle Frey is passionate about oysters. "I like pulling (oysters) out and seeing people eat them, but I'd really like just grow billions and billions of them and not have to haul them out," he said.
Kyle isn't your typical farmer and began his oyster farm at the ripe age of 25, with no family connections or farming background. In fact, he knew very little about the bivalves that have since captured his heart and consume most of his time. Even so, enthusiasm and persistence often trump experience and five years into running Crystal Coast Oysters in the waters off of Morehead City, N.C., Kyle has three leases and his business is going strong. "We've probably killed a million oysters at this point... They say once you kill a million, you're an oyster farmer. So we might not be there yet, but very close. Very close. Just got to kill a few more."
This short film highlights the connections between two local businesses—a farmer (Crystal Coast Oysters) that produces food and a restaurant (Table 9) that serves it. It was commissioned by the People First Tourism Lab at N.C. State University, who's mission is to promote micro-entrepreneurs throughout North Carolina. This was our third film for the series and was a ton of fun to shoot and put together. And if watching this gives you a craving for some fresh oysters, check out the link below where you can have fresh Crystal Coast Oysters shipped in time for your next BBQ.
Related Links
Table 9 restaurant, Atlantic Beach, N.C.
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