Coco Bear Shellfish Farm will grow oysters in floating cages on the lagoon near Sebastian. We're applying for our state lease now and plan to bring in our first harvest in 2028.
There's nothing to visit or buy just yet. See where things stand.
Coco is our old brown lab mix. The farm carries her name, our oysters will too, and she'll be on our logo once it's drawn.
So if you ever see a brown dog on a Coco Bear bag tag or a menu, now you know who she is.
Our oysters will spend their whole lives in the lagoon, in cages that float at the surface. Here's the plan.
Young oysters grow in mesh cages that float at the surface, where the water is warm and full of the plankton they eat.
We flip the cages over so the shells dry in the sun for a while. It keeps the cages and the oysters clean.
When a big storm heads our way, we sink the cages below the surface to ride it out, then float them back up.
Oysters eat plankton by filtering the water around them, so they need no feed or fertilizer. NOAA says one adult oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day.
Oysters come first. We also plan to grow hard clams and sunray venus clams.
These are our planned dates. The state's review sets the pace, so they may move.
We're applying to the State of Florida for a shellfish aquaculture lease on the lagoon.
We expect a decision around mid-2027. If it's a yes, we set out our cages and plant our first young oysters.
Our first oysters should be ready in 2028. Florida founders get theirs between October 2028 and April 2029.
Once the farm is running and approved for visitors, we hope to show you around.
We'd love to show people how oysters are farmed on the lagoon. Tours have to wait until the farm is running and approved for visitors, so we can't book anything yet.
Tell us you're interested and we'll let you know when tours open.
No booking and no payment. Just a heads-up when tours open.
Thanks! We'll email you when farm tours open. It will be a while, since the farm has to be up and running first.
Our oysters will be sold by Coco Bear Oyster Co. Florida oyster lovers can join the free founders' waitlist now, and chefs can get on the list for 2028.