Leetes Island Oysters are sustainably wild raised within the Thimble Islands, Stony Creek, CT. Each oyster is uniquely individual and full of the character and personality specific to our locale.
Our oysters
Thimble Island oysters were well known and sought after as early as 1913 when the Grand Central Oyster Bar opened. They became a staple on menus there and all across the region. Our oysters proudly hold their own sitting on a plate alongside the great legends. Millenia of fertile silt from the Connecticut River has settled in the eddies of the rocky shores of the Thimble Islands to create a growing “soil” that creates our unique character and taste. As anyone who enjoys oysters knows, there are great oysters all over the planet. The enjoyment is not so much from choosing a favorite and not straying, but to compare different oysters from different areas.
Our operation
Kim Granbery was born and raised adjacent to the oyster ground that he now works. He has spent a life on the water and been involved in oyster harvesting since 1993. He also maintains, restores, designs, and builds a variety of oyster boats.
Hoadley Creek is our wild seed source, identified by numerous marine biologists as one of the cleanest estuaries in the state of Connecticut. It is our good fortune that the brackish balance of fresh to salt water provides an exceptional spawning ground. When our oysters reach two years old we move them out onto beds with higher salinity to grow out and finish off.
