Eric Oransky & Willy Leathers
Professional Mariners
Maine Ocean Farms grows delicious oysters resourcefully and responsibly, with the ambition to build on Maine’s reputation for growing some of the best oysters on the East Coast and the Country. They challenge themselves to continuously improve their processes and products to benefit the Maine waters that they love and the communities they live in. Their farm location was carefully chosen to grow the best oysters! With much of the adjacent shoreline in conservation, lots of tidal flushing, minimal boat traffic and exposure to wind and wave action, their site provides all the right ingredients that give their oysters a unique aesthetic and delicious flavor!
What motivates you in the morning?
At the root of our business is a deep connection to the ocean, which has provided us much experience and a reason to jump out of bed every morning and head to the office, the oyster farm.
What is your mantra for when things are tough?
Nothing truly worthwhile is ever easy.
If you could do anything else, what would it be and why?
We are living our dream! There is no place we would rather be that working on the water along the coast of Maine.
Describe your best moment ever.
When we got our first product to market after nearly three years of research, planning, building-out and growing our oyster to market size. The reaction from chefs and connoisseurs alike was that we had succeeded in our goal of producing a singularly unique, delicious and sought-after oyster. Adding to Maine’s reputation for producing some of the most delicious, highest quality oyster in the country.
How did you get into your profession?
We met working on boats commercially almost ten years ago and founded Maine Ocean Farms so that we could continue to work on the water in Maine without shipping off half-way around the world for months at a time.
What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Sometimes you have plan-A and sometimes you just have A-plan.
What are your top three Pelican products?
Our 250QT Elite Cooler keeps our Oysters fresh and cool from our farm right to our restaurant partners door. It fits perfectly in the bed of the truck and can be moved with forks or straps when craning on and off the boats. Our personal R40 Ruck Case’s keep our daily essentials organized, dry and secure on the water. The rubberized base keeps the case from sliding off the dash of the boat when things get rough. Our 1465EMS Air Case keeps all or our harvest tags, tools, and gear maintenance supplies organized, portable and dry. We can grab one case with everything we need to harvest or repair gear on the farm and hop onto any one of our boats knowing we have what we need to get the job done.
