Taylor Shellfish Smokehouse Brings Local Flavor Home

Taylor Shellfish Farms is charting a new course with the addition of a smokehouse and cannery at its Shelton headquarters. This project blends more than 130 years of aquaculture heritage with a modern “tide to table” approach. It also creates fresh opportunities to enjoy locally raised shellfish while keeping more of the value in Mason County.

The company began in the 1890s when the Taylor family first farmed Olympia oysters on Puget Sound. From those beginnings, Taylor Shellfish has grown into the largest shellfish operation in the United States, with farms across Western Washington and a global reputation for sustainable aquaculture. Shelton has remained the heart of the business, and the new smokehouse signals both a return to tradition and a bold step forward—it ensures that seafood harvested along Taylor’s shorelines can be smoked, canned, and shipped from Mason County.

The smokehouse now makes it possible to prepare one of Taylor’s most-loved products, the Ekone line of smoked oysters, mussels, and other tinned shellfish, right on site. Each tin is hand packed, gently smoked, and sealed in Shelton before reaching markets near and far. For customers, this means a world-class product with a clear connection to Shelton. For Mason County, it means more of the economic benefit remains close to home.

Inside the Shelton facility, large bins of freshly harvested oysters arrive straight from the tidelands. They move through a scrubbing process to remove sand and debris and then travel by conveyor belt to a sorting line, where skilled employees examine each oyster and remove empty shells or damaged pieces. The cleaned oysters are weighed and routed through an automated system that separates them into weight-specific baskets. Those baskets go to a brand-new wet storage facility where massive holding tanks lower pallets of oysters into sanitized seawater using cranes. This storage method not only extends freshness but also further purifies the shellfish to meet Taylor’s high quality standards. With the new smokehouse in place, Taylor Shellfish can now raise, process, and package shellfish entirely within Mason County.

This investment carries several layers of significance. It creates and sustains jobs for local residents and demonstrates Taylor’s continued commitment to Mason County’s economy. It also reinforces the strength of the Taylor brand, long associated with sustainability and stewardship. By expanding operations in Shelton, the company further ties its products to the tidelands nourished by South Puget Sound’s waters.

The project highlights Taylor Shellfish’s ability to adapt. As markets shift and interest in shelf-stable seafood grows, the company responds with a facility that meets consumer needs while staying true to its roots. Smoked and canned shellfish are not only convenient and flavorful but extend the reach of Mason County’s aquaculture far beyond the fresh seafood case. A tin of Ekone oysters in New York or Tokyo carries a story that begins in Shelton.

For more than a century, Taylor Shellfish has balanced innovation with care for the waters that sustain its farms. The new smokehouse adds another chapter to that story, offering new ways for people to enjoy local shellfish while strengthening the connection between Mason County and the global seafood market. It is a reminder that the tides of Puget Sound shape not just the shoreline but also livelihoods, traditions, and the future of food.

Visitors are welcome at Taylor Shellfish Farm’s Seafood Market, located at 130 SE Lynch Road in Shelton. Open daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, the market offers fresh-made chowder, tins of smoked goods, and a wide selection of shellfish raised right here at home.