Farm Raised Oysters

Albert "Buzzy" Besson owns and operates Barataria Beauties Oyster Farm in Grand Isle, Louisiana. His farm produces oysters sold at Spoonbill, Vestal, and Wild Child Wines in Lafayette, LA.

"I have so much respect for the original oystermen like my grandfather back in the day," says Albert "Buzzy" Besson. "My grandfather would go out in his boats and dredge for oysters. It was a very labor-intensive process. We still produce a wonderful product, but now we farm oysters."

Buzzy says he took up oyster farming as a hobby, but it's in his genes, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle. "My wife thinks this is one of the things that keeps me in shape," he explains as he hand-tumbles oysters in a tub on his farm in the Gulf of Mexico. 

"Oystermen nowadays work their farms. It's a different method. The quality of oyster is the same, but the oystermen back in the day deserve special recognition."

Buzzy grew up on Grand Isle. He knows everyone and everything about the island. He can show you where he and his siblings used to play on the sand beds as kids, now unrecognizable, covered by water. He has seen development and growth in his hometown and watched hurricanes tear apart lives year after year. Now residing in St. Martinville, Buzzy brings his boutique oysters from his hometown back to Acadiana for hungry seafood lovers in Lafayette to enjoy.

Buzzy grows his oysters from seeds. Throughout the oysters' lives, he continuously moves them into bigger cages as they grow. Oyster seeds are about half the size of a penny. Eight to twelve months later, after lots of care from the nursery to the farm, Buzzy will harvest a restaurant-ready oyster.

He produces a smaller farm-raised boutique oyster that restaurants serve raw. Buzzy has about 400 square float cages on the farm, all individually labeled for each restaurant he delivers to, including Vestal. 

"You want a taste that will stay with you, not like drinking a martini where you just get a salty sip. You want that creamy, earthy flavor to return to your palate a minute or two later. That's a good oyster," Buzzy explains.

Buzzy leaves his full-time job Thursday midmorning to make oyster deliveries to Lafayette. His first stop is Vestal; they have served Buzzy's oysters for over a year. His second stop is Spoonbill, where he supplies oysters for their raw night. Wild Child Wine Shop, Champagne's, and Heleaux's Grocery will soon carry Buzzy's oysters, allowing you to enjoy them at home.