Farm Fresh ~ Forgotten Bay Oysters

FARM FRESH: GETTING TO THE MEAT OF SOUTHERN OYSTER FARMS

“I love spending time with my brother.” Veeral Padalia of Forgotten Bay Oysters is naming the best part of being an oyster farmer. His answer is almost drowned out by said brother, Vishal, laughing. Today, the two are partners in the aquaculture venture based out of Spring Creek, Florida, but Veeral got into it first, and it wasn’t all fun and brotherly love in the beginning.

Vishal and Veeral Padalia of Forgotten Bay Oysters

After graduating with a business degree from the University of Florida, the Tallahassee native made his way back home during his job search. Then, he discovered oyster farming. “It just clicked. I knew I wanted to try it,” Veeral says. Next, he reached out to his younger brother, who was skeptical to say the least. “I made fun of him at first and really thought he was crazy,” Vishal says. But the idea of taking a boat for his daily commute to work sold him. “I love the ocean and love being on the water, so being on the water every single day, that’s my favorite part.”

The Padalias grew up immersed in the outdoorsman’s paradise all around their hometown. “I went to Florida State, so I had stayed closer to home,” Vishal says. “I’ve always been a big hunter and fisherman and didn’t want to leave all my special spots. I used to kayak fish in Spring Creek, so I learned these waters a long time ago.”

The brothers had also heard about oyster aquaculture long before they got their lease in 2019, and it was a full two years after that before they put seed in the water. “There was a seed shortage, and then COVID,” says Veeral. “That first year was rough; our parents eventually just quit asking if we were really farming anything.”

But their parents, particularly their father, stayed supportive. “We were both frustrated with the fields we’d studied in college and grad school and the career paths those were leading us on,” Veeral says, “and our dad was really cool about it. He told us to find something we were passionate about and pursue that. And we did. We’re doing it.”

In hindsight, the delay gave the brothers the time they needed to figure out (and assemble!) their equipment and make a sound plan. “We really were not ready when we thought we were,” Vishal says. “It’s just the two of us, so that extra time turned out to be a help. When we finally got our first seed, we jumped right in.”

They chose to make a smaller splash to ensure they the operation didn’t outgrow them. “We are limiting ourselves to 200,000 oysters right now to keep things manageable,” Veeral says. Doing it small but doing it right is Forgotten Bay’s farm philosophy.

Veeral credits their farm’s location for at least part of their success so far. “We’re in Skipper Bay, and the conditions there are so awesome, I don’t think we could screw it up,” he says. “The oysters are growing great and need a little less attention than they might somewhere else.” This is allowing Forgotten Bay to remain a two-man team for now.

The popularity of Forgotten Bay’s Spring Selects is proving their plan works; the brothers are selling everything they harvest to Tallahassee locals, a few area restaurants and a distributor who’s selling them to other eateries around the Southeast. “We just pulled out best season out of the water,” Veeral says. “They’re sweet and salty with a creamy finish.”

While they’re proud of what they’ve accomplished on as a duo, Veeral stresses the massive amount of assistance they’ve received from what he calls “amazingly generous oyster farming neighbors.” “Everyone around us is so helpful, and if not for them, there is no way we would have gotten where we are. People like Jody and Dewey at Cypress Point and Cainnon Gregg of Pelican Oyster Company have so much knowledge, and they share it,” he says.

It's clear there’s a strong sense of community and camaraderie down in Spring Creek, but the affection that got Veeral a little gushy hasn’t always been flowing so freely. “That first season, Vishal and I were kinda at each other’s throats, but now, it's fun again. It’s getting exciting,” Veeral says. “I really do just love getting to do this with him.” Still laughing, Vishal reciprocates the sentiment. “We are having fun for sure; we laugh a lot,” he says.