Five generations of the Taylor family have made Taylor Shellfish into the largest producer of farmed shellfish in the United States. What began in the 1890s with farming Olympia oysters in the Puget Sound has, with extensive study, effort, and time, become a truly diversified business, with farms covering more than 11,000 acres of tidelands along the coast of Washington and British Columbia (as well as hatcheries and nurseries in Hawaii and California), harvesting all kinds of shellfish, from precious Kumamoto oysters to enormous, sweet geoduck clams. The whole range is available at their three shop locations as well as online.

Sustainability and responsibility to both the environment and the community are priorities for the Taylors, and all their farms are certified sustainable. As president Bill Taylor says, “We’re very much a long-term family business. At the end of the day, we’re looking out a long ways in front of us and wanting to make sure that what we are doing now doesn’t negatively affect that future.” It’s that philosophy, and the quality of the Taylors’ oysters, clams, mussels, and more, that has made them a favorite of chefs like Maria Hines, who has featured them in dinners honoring the producers.