What will you celebrate on July 26th?
We will be at the Scarborough Farmer’s Market this Sunday, the 26th from 9am to 1pm. We are celebrating a few things, which I will dive into momentarily. July 26th happens to be many national holidays or days to celebrate, which I did not realize was possible stacking up holidays on the same day!? So, I’ll share a few of them. Did you know that it is Holistic Therapy Day, National Disability Independence Day, National All or Nothing Day, National Parents’ Day, National Aunt and Uncle Day, National Grandparents and the Elderly Day and more? May we recommend that you celebrate any of these holidays with oysters or oyster shucking swag.
Us about to do some husbandry on the farm.
We are celebrating the community we are building and look forward to meeting our oyster friends at events. I personally have enjoyed being at several events this summer! I shared our oysters with attendees at Juneteenth at Wolf Neck in Freeport for The Third Place, then vending that same day at Rotary Park for Biddeford’s Juneteenth. And that vibe kept going in July where I attended and shared Indigo Oysters with Minorities in Aquaculture and Lift All Boats at their potluck on July 18th. Again this month we will have two days at the Farmer’s Market, the second one coming up this Sunday on the 26th. I love people enjoying our oysters and hearing that the shucking block provides more agency for oyster consumers who were intimidated to shuck.
It’s a very useful apparatus.
Hopefully we see you in person this month. I, Flo, will make sure to celebrate life with you when I do. Just a week ago on my morning jog, I took a left instead of a right and I fortunately missed the loss of life of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero. Living in Biddeford, blocks from the recent I C E “incident”, has made me even more appreciative of our community; of Maine; of being alive; of being Black; of being able to work with my Asian best friend of 30+ yrs; of being queer; of embracing my non-binary tendencies; of being a veteran, of being a disabled veteran at that; of being a small business owner; of being an oyster farmer; of being an American. I grow these oysters for love and representation. I believe that representation provides a level of access and allows me talk about oyster history through a lens of color. I also believe that being successful is the best revenge. And I believe in all of us and all of Americans. We are all in this together. So please shuck an oyster and raise it high; make an oyster toast to all that you love and everyone that you love. Let’s keep shucking it up and celebrating life!
One of the many sunsets we see out on the water.
Upcoming Events
We are cooking up a shucking pop up at Orange Bike Brewery, and we will share dates soon.
In September we will be having a tour of the farm with Palmar Collective, so keep an eye out for sign ups in August.
And of course Scarborough Farmer’s Market, more days to come!
Pre-order
To help us harvest sustainably and to ensure we have your oysters at the farmer’s market, get your dozens ordered before Friday at noon. And for an even bigger discount order a CSA, three sizes available!
See you soon!
Summer Tides with Indigo Oyster Co.
Summer is our busiest time. The oysters are growing quickly, which means we're constantly tending the farm—flipping cages, cleaning gear, checking growth, and making sure every oyster has the best chance to thrive.
Some days are muddy. Some days are windy. Lately some days have been crazy hot. But just about every day on the water is gorgeous.
Sunrise on the farm
A Weekend to Remember
Flo and I attended our first Maine Oyster Festival a couple of weeks ago and we shucked. our. hearts. out.
We had no idea what to expect and wow, sometimes walking into the unknown is amazing.
We started out a bit nervous… “Do we start shucking now? Should we wait? When are the inspectors coming? Do we need more ice?” Just some of that good ol’ nervous oyster self-talk.
Then it started - our first customer. “Can I get an oyster please?” And after that, a couple more. Then we had a line. And the line just kept forming.
We sold out within hours. It was nuts. And awesome. Awesome nuts, if you will.
We can’t wait to go again next year… and this time we’ll know what to expect!
Also, we made the paper. Epic picture of Flo shucking. No big deal :)
Photo credit: Portland Press Herald.
Farmer’s Market Life: Scarborough on Sundays
Until this summer, I thought I was a farmer’s market person.
I’d go, peruse the stalls, say hello to farmers and leave with a reusable bag overflowing with produce. I thought that was it.
But now…now we are IN the farmer’s market. We show up to an empty parking lot and turn it into an outdoor market in 45 minutes.
You get to feel the excitement of setup. Chat with all the other vendors to see how they’re selling. Check out goods made by your neighbors. Plot our plan for world oyster domination as we sit in the shade getting hopped up on iced coffee.
We even get to play that weird eye contact game when people kind of want oysters but aren’t sure and you don’t want to pressure them so you don’t stare but you do want to be attentive so you sort of look near them.
It’s pretty rad and we’re enjoying the experience.
We're committed to the dates below, but we've somehow managed to sneak into most weekends this summer thanks to a few last-minute openings. Swing by one of the scheduled dates—or keep an eye on Instagram to see where we'll be next.
July 12 & 26, 9am-1pm
August 9, 9am-1pm
September 13, 9am-1pm
October 11, 9am-1pm
Thank you Scarborough!
Getting Oysters Into Your Hands
Sales Input Requested
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Sales Input Requested 〰️
This is our first full year of sales and marketing and, to be honest, we're still figuring it out.
Growing oysters is one thing. Figuring out the best way to get them into your hands while balancing full-time jobs and running a farm...well, that's the puzzle we're solving this year.
So we have a question for you.
If we offered a weekly pickup or delivery location (besides the Scarborough Farmer’s Market), what day, time, and place would work best?
Consider this an unofficial poll. 😊 We'll likely need to choose just one location, so your feedback could help shape what we do next.
In the meantime, here's where you can find Indigo oysters:
Order online by the half-dozen or dozen through our website, or stop by and see us at the Scarborough Farmers Market.
Join one of our CSAs. Think of it as a season pass for oysters. Members pre-purchase oysters for the season and then let us know when they'd like to pick them up. It helps us plan each week's harvest, and you'll receive oysters that were harvested specifically for your order.
Look for us at festivals and pop-ups. We've signed up for several events already, with more to come throughout the season.
Need a shucking upgrade? We've stocked up on our favorite oyster knives and shucking blocks, and we're excited to say Indigo t-shirts are coming soon!
That’s all for this edition… until the next tide!
We’re Back For 2026
We have so many firsts to share!
Logo designed by Raquel P Miller
By IOC, Jun 3, 2026
2026 Harvest Season Is Finally Here!
We made it through 2025—and we’re back! Alexus and I are excited to unveil our new logo. Designed by Raquel P Miller, the concept was inspired by IOC’s oysters and thoughtfully created from one of our own harvests—our very first oyster.
Last year inspired us to keep learning and improving. We’ve added more cages to better protect our oysters, and we’ve switched to a two-bag setup to make things easier on our two-women crew—keeping gear lighter and a lot easier on our backs.
We’re also excited to share that you’ll be able to find us at the Scarborough Farmers’ Market this summer! In addition, we’ll be launching our very first CSA program, giving members a convenient way to enjoy fresh IOC oysters throughout the season .
Keep reading for more details on our CSA offerings, what will be available this season, and when you can find us at the market. We can’t wait to connect with you and share another great year of oysters!
Our Swag
The little things matter
Logo design and photo credit Raquel P Miller
We know that homeshuckers may need a shucking block to have a good safe grip, so we’re offering a knife/block combo styled with our brand new logo. Our favorite type of shucking knife is the frenchmen, great grip and a perfect point. We will donate 1% of monthly sales of shucking gear to a local nonprofit. Photo credit: Raquel P Miller
Maine Tourism Conference
IOC went to its first Maine Office of Tourism conference (big thanks to The Third Place for the invitation). It was a day of firsts! We were happy to display our new swag and fresh new logo. We met a lot of people and shared a booth with Coelle travel.
“What is an oyster if not the perfect food? It appears on your plate as God created it: raw, unadorned. ”
—Anthony Bourdain
Our Farm, Our CSA
An ussie of us out at dawn this May.
Thank you, friends, for supporting our women-run farm. As we navigate the best way to bring oysters from our Yarmouth-based farm to fellow enthusiasts, we lean into Booker T. Whatley’s philosophy of CSAs: work smaller and smarter.
Our community supported aquaculture (CSA) comes in three sizes based off of the largest rivers of Maine.
What we offer:
The Saco CSA is great for the budding oyster enthusiast with a total of 5 dozen oysters to start you off for the season!
The Androscoggin CSA is perfect for the dedicated oyster lover or small families with a total of 10 dozen oysters.
The Penobscot CSA is made for the devoted oyster enthusiast. With a whopping total of 180 oysters, coming to 15 dozen oysters, this CSA has got you covered. We can see you now…shucking with the IOC block kit and one of our oyster knives…
And of course oysters by the dozen.
Online ordering on our website
Where to pick up:
Scarborough Farmer’s Market
259 US-1, Scarborough, ME 04074
Dates and times IOC will be there:
June 14, 9am-1pm
July 12 & 26, 9am-1pm
August 9 9am-1pm
September 13 9am-1pm
October 11 9am-1pm
MORE DATES TO COME follow us on instagram to stay updated!
Sustainability
At IOC we believe in supporting one another and sharing oyster culture. Some ways that we will do that are by donating and educating. We will donate 1% of monthly sales of shucking gear to local nonprofits. We have added a Culture page to our website. This page shares a history of oysters from a Black and Asian American perspective. Please visit the website and read a bit on oyster culture. Our people have been oystering and CSA-ing for a long time. We are honored to continue present day history.
Coming Soon
Our first day at the Scarborough Farmer’s Market is June 14. Come and chat and support local farmers.
We are going to be at our first Maine Oyster Festival in Freeport for June 27! It’s a two day event with a meet the farmer party Friday night as a kick off to the weekend. We hope to see you there. This is our second festival, ever! It’s been fun to learn the additional permits that were required. I think that being in a festival provides an education on marketing, administration and logistics that will make us better and wiser oyster purveyors.