Amy Armstrong
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Ron Fry
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This interview focuses upon the resurgence and growth of the oyster industry in rural Topping, VA that is revitalizing the Chesapeake Bay and providing employment opportunities for local residents. Using and building upon aquaculture techniques the company has developed a farmers cooperative to produce a quality food source raised in its natural environment.
Rappahannock River Oyster Company (RRO) was one of the first businesses to envision the resurgence of the oyster in the Chesapeake Bay in the 2000s. Travis and Ryan Croxton, owners of RRO, wanted to preserve the native oyster and provide a variety that tasted of the water from which they came (i.e. Rappahannocks, Rochambeaus, and Olde Saltes) and rebrand the greatness and health of the Bay. Using aquaculture techniques and creating an aquaculture cooperative, Rappahannock River oysters are now distributed across the lower 48 states and have been shipped to Dubai, Hong Kong, China, and Colombia, among other world locations. The oyster industry is now second only to the forestry industry in Virginia, with Virginia leading oyster production on the entire East Coast. The RRO website states: “Our philosophy is simple … nature does it best. And so, rather than attempt to control our environment, we look to the natural process to help guide our process. That means studying and leveraging the natural rhythms and listening when nature pushes back, because in the end, we’re hoping to increase nature, not tame it.” RRO farms use oyster cages where seedlings will fall to the river bottom to build natural oyster reefs.
In rural Topping, VA, hidden behind fields of corn where the land ends, one unexpectedly comes upon the Rappahannock River Oyster Company nestled on the edge of Locklies Creek and the Rappahannock River. The Rappahannock is one of four rivers that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay, the world’s largest estuary system. The Chesapeake Bay watershed has a long history dating back centuries providing a means of sustenance, navigation, and recreation.
Chief Operating Officer Anthony Marchetti recounted the story of RRO. Sixteen years ago, the Croxtons had a vision to revitalize their grandfather's former business, originally established in 1899. The oyster industry was once booming, but it became depleted and tarnished, mirroring the deteriorating health of the Bay due to pesticide run off and other human factors. Oysters were not plentiful as they once had been, and the product was not of high quality. A once vibrant industry, it was estimated in the 2000’s that 1% of oysters remained in comparison to the 1880s. A century of depletion using traditional harvesting methods of dredging and tonging had decimated the native oyster. As the estuary and its biodiversity struggled, those economically dependent upon the bay also struggled with their livelihood. Today, the aquaculture company is thriving, the Bay is improving as are the oysters in their natural habitat. The watermen and women who harvest and the people who enjoy the epicurean treat are also enjoying the comeback.
Overall Impact
When RRO started up again in 2002, they had one farm on the Rappahannock River. The Croxtons wanted to rebrand the Bay and also offer the widest range of flavors from sweet to salty. As RRO grew, they established Bar Cat, a cooperative oyster farming program working with other farmers throughout the area, mostly family businesses which provide 15-20 million oysters to RRO. The company produced 10,000 oysters a week by 2008 and now produces approximately 200,000 a week. Marchetti stated “People believe in the mission of Rappahannock River Oyster Company. We are doing something to save the Bay while also bringing a solid product to people. I have seen employees work two years of their lives to get one oyster (from seedling to maturity), to see it on a plate and people enjoying the product.” RRO’s mission is to “…celebrate good food grown well," he added. Rappahannock River Oyster Company continues to grow and has established several restaurants. Locations include Topping and Richmond, VA; Charleston, SC; Los Angeles, CA; and Washington D.C. These restaurants employ additional individuals beyond the 50+ employees in Topping.
RRO provides jobs for 35 employees in a small community with an additional 20-30 employees at the Merrior Tasting Room that sits next door to the production center. These people are able to stay local because they are employed nearby in rural Middlesex County. Marchetti plans on continuing his work with RRO, and hopes one day that if his children wish to, they can work in the industry and remain in the area where their parents have a history. Marchetti said “It is easy to get up and go to work. I work where people come and are happy, where they come for their vacation. When we first started I travelled to Las Vegas to visit a chef who was ordering our oysters for his restaurant. That was a moment to realize that something we produced in our small part of the world was now in a restaurant in another part of the world.”
RRO goes beyond the philosophy of “taking out what you put in.” For one dozen oysters, RRO will replenish five dozen. Marchetti stated the more oysters a person eats, the better for the Bay in terms of water filtration and habitat development. RRO shipped out over eight million market oysters in 2016 and has over 20 million in the water at various stages. “Hopefully the future environmental effects of a healthier, more abundant Bay will have a noticeable impact across species to include younger fish, the blue crab and shrimp. One adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. Sea grasses will increase and the young of other species will thrive as will the larger fish. It is a ripple effect," he noted. "Oysters are the building block. They are also one of the cheapest proteins to produce as there is no feed since oysters feed on naturally occurring algae within a natural environment. People care about where their food comes from and what they eat. I think that concern moving forward will continue to grow.”
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Anthony Marchetti, Chief Operations Officer
