OUR STORY
About Isle Dauphine Oyster Company –
The Cadillac of Oysters
For Doug and Mary Ankersen and Lew and Cate Childre, the oyster has become their world. Engineers by training, Doug and Lew have brought an industrial yet scientific approach to producing what has become the highest quality oyster from Alabama: the Isle Dauphine Oyster.
The family’s small private company, founded in 2013 near the salty waters of Dauphin Island, Alabama, produces only premium off-bottom oysters. Having exponentially grown in popularity due to their perfect combination of both size and salinity, Isle Dauphine oysters have become the most sought-after premium boutique oysters.
Oyster farming once dominated the economy of the Alabama coastal region, where Mobile Bay and its salt flats and estuaries create a near perfect marine environment. However, Alabama’s estuarial waters have lost over 95% of its historical oyster reefs and the Ankersens decided to do something about it.
Working in conjunction with technical experts from Auburn University, Doug adapted the emerging off-bottom technique to produce a truly world-class product all while creating highly productive habitats for various marine life. The result is not only a near perfect oyster, but also yearlong employment opportunities for waterway economies that are traditionally seasonal at best.
Isle Dauphine oysters derive all their food and nutrients directly from the environment, without any input from the farmers, while creating nurseries for crabs, shrimp, fish, and other marine life. All of which, along with the Ankersen’s family commitment, contribute to make Isle Dauphine oysters one of the most well-known oysters from Alabama, as well as the best tasting.
