Get to know our story
This is a love at first sight story told in the first person by Rui Ferreira, creator of OstraSelect and considered one of the biggest national/Algarvian producers of oysters.
Our adventure began in 1986, with the production of clams on an area of 6,500 m2. The change of direction came in 2000, during a visit to the Arcachon basin, one of the main birth and cultivation centres for oysters in France. At that moment, I fell in love with it so much that I started to dedicate myself entirely to the production of the Crassostrea Gigas variety, giving life to the OstraSelect project, which has 4 hectares of nurseries.
For those who have not yet tried our oysters produced in the tidal flats of the Ria de Alvor, they have a very particular flavour achieved by the excellent quality of the water and the existing nutrients that nourish them, giving them an authentic sea taste, so appreciated by fans of this bivalve. For those who have already tried them, you know what we are talking about.
Oysters Experience was born from the fascination for oyster farming and the inspiring stories that motivated us to get here. An opportunity for us to share knowledge and experiences, but also to fall in love with the taste of our happy oysters, providing unique moments.
Enjoy our oysters
The journey of our oysters begins with a natural catchment in France, in the coastal town of Arcachon, coming to Vale de Lama (Lagos) as soon as they reach 6 to 10 millimetres in size.
Here, in the protected zone of the Ria de Alvor, we work daily to ensure that they grow healthy in OysterSelect’s nurseries, where the sun and the tides work their magic: Oysters of distinctive quality, with a shiny shell and a refreshing taste, as happy as they are.
At Oysters Experience, each oyster served is grown with dedication and love,
so that you can consume it safely and savour it with pleasure.
Did you know that…
Happy Oysters don't produce pearls?
Pearls are formed when a grain of sand invades the oyster and the oyster, in pain, crystallises the invader in an act of self-defence. Happy oysters are those that grow healthy, like ours.
90% of production goes to France?
Our oysters are born in France, they grow in the Algarve and many return again to the area of their birth. However, it is our intention to make the Portuguese feel the same pleasure in tasting our happy oysters.
Oysters go perfectly with chilled wine?
Accompanied by a good white wine or sparkling wine, preferably at the end of the day with the light of the sunset, this is one of the best combinations to celebrate life.
Production takes place in three stages?
Between hatching in the hatchery, growing in the nursery and cleaning in the purification process, we ensure that all our oysters are delivered ready for human consumption.