Namoyster has new owners

One of the coast’s pioneering oyster producers, Namoyster CC, is under new ownership, Mr Theunis Keulder and his spouse Desmèon, both well-known residents of the coast.

Mr Keulder hosted the Namibian media on Thursday on a guided tour to Namoyster’s growth facility off Walvis Bay as well the land-based facility where the oysters are cleaned and stored for sale and distribution.
The Keulder couple also own Catamaran Charters and Sandwich Harbour 4 x 4. They view the acquisition of Namoyster as a strategic move to complement their tourism businesses, as the Walvis Bay Oyster (Crassostrea Gigas or the Pacific Oyster) and dolphin and seal cruises have become synonymous.
Namoyster’s acquaculture production area is 10 hectares in size and forms part of the mariculture production area off Walvis Bay. Due to the nutrient-rich water off Walvis Bay, oysters take around eight months to reach cock-tail size. In other parts of the world like France oysters can take up to three years to reach that size.
To augment production, Namoyster collaborates with a Lüderitz-based aquaculture farm to grow oysters from a very small size to cocktail size. The oysters are then transferred to Walvis Bay for the grow-out phase.
Namoyster plans to increase its holding capacity on land from 10 000 fresh oysters to 50 000, in order to satisfy the growing local and overseas mark-ets.
The business currently employs eleven staff members and depending on demand also hires in additional workers from time to time.
Namoyster produces fresh oysters for the local and overseas market, but fresh frozen oysters are also rapidly gaining in popularity, as there is virtually no difference in taste and quality.
The Walvis Bay oyster is distinctly meaty with a very thin shell, enhancing its popularity in the global seafood trade. The sweet fatty taste also makes the Walvis Bay Oyster renowned and lauded by connoisseurs worldwide, according to Keulder.