Island Creek Oysters launches its cannery of tinned seafood

The establishment will be the first of its kind in the US, according to the company. From sea to shining sea, fish and tins are meant to be — at least that’s the idea at Island Creek Oysters, which is opening a tinned fish cannery in New Bedford this month.  

The Duxbury oyster farm is launching a line of craft conservas, which are European-style, ready-to-go tinned seafood. The 10,000-square-foot cannery where these products are made is the first of its kind in the United States, the company said. Island Creek, an already well-known name on restaurant menus, hopes the longer shelf life of canned food helps it reach a larger market. “We’ve spent our entire career selling food to chefs, which has been awesome,” Island Creek president Christopher Sherman said in an interview. “But I think this cannery will lead us into selling to consumers of grocery stores.”

Currently, Island Creek sells shellfish to chefs across the country, operates an online retail business, and has eateries of its own. The company opened an outpost in Portland, Maine in 2017 known as The Shop, has a raw bar on Duxbury Bay, and runs the Winsor House, a restaurant on its Duxbury farm.

Island Creek, founded about 30 years ago, began offering tinned fish in 2016. But the product gained much of its popularity during the pandemic, when people used the products as pantry stockers and for home-cooking. The company initially sourced the conservas from Spain, as they are traditionally more popular in Europe. Now, through its own cannery, Island Creek is hoping to expand its business.

The products range in price from $6 to $20, though the company hopes to eventually get them all under $10, said Sherman. They will be for sale both online and at Island Creek’s outposts in Maine and Duxbury.

The company has already hired five full-time staff for the New Bedford cannery, according to Sherman. The cannery will help fuel economic growth in coastal communities, where there are fishers and farmers, as it plans to buy some of their products that don’t do well on the fresh market, like large oysters.

Two key features of the conservas are their portability and versatility, according to Sherman. They can be eaten right out of the tin, as they come with seasonings including garlic and chili, or they can be used to top foods like pasta and toast. They are also shelf-stable for at least three years, Sherman said.

Sherman said the establishment has applied for a roughly $400,000 grant from the state’s Department of Agricultural Resources to automate some functions of the cannery so that it is competitive with European players. The first product coming out of the cannery will be hard-shell clams from Virginia, though all of the tinned products are shucked, Sherman said. Later this year, shellfish grown and harvested by Island Creek owner and founder Skip Bennett will be released.

Bennett, who grew up in Duxbury digging clams, mussels, and steamers, said tinned fish used to be a staple, especially in the days before refrigeration. Now, he and Sherman look forward to helping bring seafood canning back to New England. “I’m excited to see how big the market will become in the US,” said Bennett. “It’s going to come back, and I cannot wait to see what the new iteration of tinned fish is.”