Sligo business which embraces a sensory experience with oysters wins national seafood award

Sponsored by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland's Seafood Development Agency, the award recognises innovation across the Irish seafood supply chain.

Paul Ward, Business Intelligence Manager, BIM applauded Sligo Oyster Experience and its spirit of innovation.

"Aisling Kelly Hunter's vision is to hero Irish produced oysters, building their fanbase. This has led to her expansion of the business from its original oyster farm touring and tasting experience to online seafood retailing. This is a prime example of a business that's reinventing and rethinking how to get more value from Irish seafood in a way that's sustainable."

Aisling explained the catalyst for her latest new product was her bid to keep improving efficiencies on oyster farms to maximise yield:

"Oysters are graded according to size for the fresh market. However, some oysters can have shells that are shaped in a way that's unsuitable for sale on the market – they might be too big or too small - but still hold high quality meat. This is where my idea of pickling oysters emerged; removing them from their shells and using water mint and lemon balm balsamic ingredients to complement their sharp briny and rich taste."

Aisling opened the Sligo Oyster Experience in 2018 driven by an aim of getting more people to appreciate Irish produced oysters.

"I've created my business model around a full sensory experience where people can see, touch and enjoy the smell and taste of Irish oysters. The Irish language name for Sligo is Sligeach and it literally means shelly place or place abounding with shells. I want to be part of the movement to reinvigorate the region's rich shellfish legacy."