We were lucky to catch up with Sadia Crosby recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sadia, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

When I first began oyster farming, I thought it would just be a fun little side project that would allow me to spend more time on the water and share fresh oysters with friends. I should note- prior to starting my farm I had only eaten an oyster once and I was not a fan. Regardless, I loved gardening and land-crops so I thought it would be a fun new challenge. After my first few harvest, I received raving reviews from friends and family. Eventually I worked up the courage to approach a restaurant to try and sell to them. They took me on and my following and demand grew even more. I continued to grow my farm to a size where it was no longer just my expensive hobby, I decided to take the risk of branding my farm and working at it part-time. This has been a huge leap for me and has forced me outside of my comfort zone to reach out to new clients and folks in the industry while managing my other career and responsibilities. Fast forward to this month where I have officially announced that I will be opening a raw bar that features my oysters as well as other seafood products from Maine farms. This is one risk that paid off and has led me into a beautiful experience of owning my own business and finding a passion for a career in aquaculture that I never expected to find.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Sadia Crosby, I grew up on a small island in Maine and began farming oysters in 2019. I started my farm, OystHERS Sea Farm, in Robinhood Cove, a beautiful body of water that nearly splits the island of Georgetown in half. Before I started my farm, I was working as an arborist and pursued a Masters of Science in Entomology from the University of Maine, Orono (2023). I have always loved working outside, and pursuing oyster farming just seemed like a fun me. My dad was a commercial lobsterman and I grew up on the working waterfront. I began my farm because I thought it would be fun and it has opened up so many opportunities to me. My brand OystHERs gives patronage to all of the hardworking females involved in the maritime, fishing, and aquaculture industries. My oysters have a large beautiful cup with a golden hue to their shells. They contain a tender, buttery meat with a brine forward kick and a sweet finish. I am so proud to share my oysters because they take three years to grow to the size I serve and are a reflection of my hard work, care, stubbornness, and love for them. I am truly passionate about my oysters and it is always such a rewarding experience to share them with others. My father passed away unexpectedly in 2021 and for me, I feel extremely honored to be able to carry on his legacy of harvesting fresh Maine seafood from the waters surrounding the island he raised me on.

My mission is to grow craft Maine OystHERS in a sustainably-minded manner, while providing opportunities for women and minorities to engage in aquaculture, while providing outreach and educational opportunities to students in my local community.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

This definitely resonates with me and I think I already explained this in my first response.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I started my business very small by just giving samples to friends and family to try. Eventually they told their friends and word of mouth spread by business and product to where I had strangers reaching out to me to order my oysters. For me, word of mouth in my local community has been my best source of new clients. Social media and selling to dealers has helped spread my brand and product, but the true growth and clientele has happened on a more local scale through word of mouth and recommendations in my own community.  

Contact Info:

• Website: oysthers.com
• Instagram: @oysthersseafarm
• Facebook: Oysthers Sea Farm

Image Credits
All photos were taken by Jordan Moody except the first photo of me, which was taken by Alice Stenquist. The logo belongs to me.