Taylor Shellfish Expansion Project
Mountain is proud to partner with Taylor Shellfish in their newest wet processing facility. Mountain was honored to build the first version of this facility several years ago, and after the incredible success of the first wet processing facility, we were asked by Taylor Shellfish to build an expanded version so that they could continue to grow their operations.
Founded in the 1890s, Taylor Shellfish is the largest shellfish producer of farmed shellfish in North America. Managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Taylor family, Taylor Shellfish Farms continually reinvests in new processing facilitates, aquaculture techniques, and tideland preservation.
Taylor Shellfish is a leader in sustainably farmed oysters, clams, mussels, and geoducks, and the first shellfish farm in the U.S. to achieve ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) Certification. Taylor Shellfish’s latest improvement will be theaddition of storage space and an expansion of their innovative wet processing facility. The initial wet processing facility built by Mountain and Taylor Shellfish was the first of its kind and solved two problems that continually plague shellfish harvest areas—a short window of harvest time due to tides, and limited shelf life.
The expanded multi-million-dollar wet processing facility that Mountain is building now will enable the company to better meet demand with the freshest and safest possible shellfish products year-round. Shellfish are harvested and then stored in purified saltwater—allowing for much longer shelf life as well as a safer, bacteria-free product. This new wet processing facility features two 125,000-gallon pools, two 60,000-gallon storage tanks and 12- and 16-inch piping that filter and clean the water every 20 minutes through a UV filter and skimmer. This process allows for a clean, bacteria-free shellfish product and for the storage of over 1.5 million oysters.
Taylor relied on Mountain’s expertise to choose durable building materials that could stand up to continual exposure to saltwater and grit. Mountain was up to the challenge and is building the project using FDA-compliant waterproof concrete material that is not only resistant to saltwater corrosion but also will self-heal cracks that may occur in the concrete. The end result will be an expansion of Taylor Shellfish’s existing cutting edge technology that allows for cleaner, safer shellfish.
