![]() Thus, the concept of the Qyster (pronounced quoy-ster) – a deep, smooth-shelled oyster that has a Q clearly visible on its side – was born. I realised that it was possible to develop moulds that produced unique designs on the outside of the shells of the oysters,” he adds. Another lightbulb moment was when I was grading some oysters in plastic trays, and I noticed that a mirror image of the lettering on the trays was clearly visible on the oyster shells that had attached themselves to the trays. The original concept – to grow oysters in a mould – started from there. “It dawned on me that if you could make uniform oysters then it would lend itself to automation a hell of a lot easier. The startup sold its first crop of "Qysters" in December 2022 AMS has developed a way of growing oysters with distinct markings on their shells “They developed a very complex and expensive machine, but it still failed because oysters are all shapes and sizes and the location of the adductor muscle, which is the one you need to cut to remove the lid, varied,” he recalls. And it’s also out of your control to get a nice-shaped oyster – they’re very rough and rugged,” he explains.Ī catalyst for Gregory’s innovation came when a local company tried to develop a machine to half-shell oysters, without the need for the usual labour-intensive hand-shucking. ![]() It’s a huge cost for producing a real commodity product. “It needs a huge footprint and isn’t great for the environment: you need to use heavily treated timber if there is any major flooding, trees logs, and other debris can knock all the oysters off and it’s also labour-intensive – I’d wake up with a sore back every morning from the heavy lifting which was required for constant de-clumping and grading of the oysters. ![]() The main method for oyster production in the area was the “rack and stick” combination, but he noted that this system came with a number of drawbacks. Gregory began to investigate new ways to produce the shellfish, following his concerns over the conventional methods that he originally deployed. ![]() The concept has been developed by Shaun Gregory, a New Zealander who has been in the seafood sector for quarter of a century – both as a commercial fisherman and an oyster producer, based out of Whangaroa Harbour, north of the Bay of Islands. ![]()
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