How a Former Poker Player Became an Expert Oyster Farmer

Oysters are usually farmed in the ocean, but in the Dutch province of Zeeland, an oyster farm has decided to try its luck away from open water. For the past few years, they have been farming oysters within the dikes that separate dry land from the river Oosterschelde, effectively creating the world's first inner-dike oysters.

The salty sea air enters my nostrils as soon as I enter the small Zeeland town of Kats, where the farm is located. Sybe Smit will show me around today. He started the company Smit & Smit with his father two years ago. Before we go inside, I notice a row of what looks like pools on the side of the building.

We walk into a big warehouse, which is filled with large blue tubs. I peek into two tubs that are sitting on the ground; they're filled with oysters. The company's only employee, Jos Smallgange, is emptying one of the blue bins out into a strange-looking machine. Jos is a biologist and responsible for feeding the oysters.

"The machine cuts off the edges of the oysters. Because of that, the oysters grow bigger, and that's what we want. It keeps their surface area flat and makes their underside round and spacious," says Sybe.

Five years ago, Sybe and his father got the idea to start a farm together. "My dad used to work in the shellfish processing industry, so he already had quite a bit of knowledge. He used to make the machines they use to clean mussels. He designed these blue bins." It took a few years before the venture actually took off. "We worked out of a small container for the first two years, just trying to see if we could get it to work. Now we have this huge warehouse and 24 ponds for growing algae."

Before he went into the oyster business, Sybe was a professional poker player. He played big tournaments and has fond memories of his gambling days. He also believes that his poker skills are useful in his new career. "I was first runner-up at the Dutch open. My best friend won; that was a crazy evening. Playing poker mostly made me more insightful and I learned to think analytically. With everything I see or do, I can think of ways to do it better."

We walk through the warehouse, in between the rows of stacked blue bins, and I hear water running. "In oyster farms in France, for instance, oysters are placed on these kinds of steel tables in the ocean. The water runs through horizontally, but because of the currents, they get too close to each other, so not every oyster gets enough nourishment. My dad came up with the idea for these bins. By letter the water flow through on a horizontal level, all oysters get enough water and food," explains Sybe, who gets a ladder so I can take a peek into a bin at the top.

The water is pumped directly from the Oosterschelde through a hole in the dike, which contains a filter to clean the water. Several companies work this way—a samphire farm down the road has tried to farm sole. The water is used to feed the oysters. The algae they eat are also farmed on the property.

"Winter and summer are actually bad seasons for oysters. In wintertime, there aren't a lot of algae in the water. In summertime, there are different issues: this is when they procreate. This means the eggs and sperm grow within the shell, and that makes for a mushy oyster. That's why we also grow our own algae," says Sybe. Jos is responsible for growing the oyster food. Sybe leads me to a lab, located in the rear of the warehouse. After he opens the door, I feel like I'm looking into an episode of Breaking Bad.

My Breaking Bad comparison makes Sybe laugh. He puts on a white lab coat and preps a petri dish with a few algae, so I can look at them under the microscope. "What you feed an oyster is very important. This determines the quality. By controlling the amount of algae in the water, we feed the oysters in a controlled way," says Sybe as I study the algae. It takes me a few seconds, but then I see a few tiny lines. "First we put a few algae in tiny bottles, and when they multiply we transfer them to bigger bottles, then into a big pool, and finally into the swimming pools outside. Algae multiply very quickly, and very easily under the right circumstances."

Now that I've seen all the equipment in the warehouse, it all sounds pretty simple. But is it sustainable? Sybe shows me a few tubes on opposite side of the lab. "We recycle our own waste water. We use it to cool the relatively warm water that comes in. This way, we lose less energy." There is also a not-so-sustainable side to the business, he tells me: Right now, they still import their oysters, often from France. "But we don't use nature preserves, so this is a good alternative. In the future, we could try this with other types of shellfish that also feed off these algae." That won't be as easy as growing oysters, however, because shellfish dig themselves into the ground.

For now, he believes that Smit & Smit's product falls in line with customer's expectations. "They want honest food and are mainly looking for sources of protein and minerals, and the oyster is perfect for that. We work without antibiotics or pesticides, so it's all very pure."

According to Sybe, inner dike oysters taste the same as the ones from the ocean, because they eat the same algae. "But you have areas where pine trees grow on top of a mountain, so the river takes sap all the way down into the ocean and it ultimately ends up in the oysters. You can taste [something like] that."

Sybe prefers his own oysters as simple and natural as possible. "Directly from the ocean, because those are the most tasty. You can top them with cheese, onion, and garlic, but then you can't taste the oyster anymore, so you might as well have a hamburger. But a little pepper or lemon on top isn't bad."

In the future, Smit & Smit wants to start producing baby oysters, but that's a time-consuming process. We exit the warehouse in the rear, where I notice two separate blue bins. Sybe sticks his hand in, feels around, and takes out a very tiny shell. "Look, this is a baby oyster. This is still a test, but we're hoping to have our own baby oysters in about a year."

You can't visit an oyster farm and leave without eating an oyster. Sybe must have read my mind, because he is enthusiastically shucking an oyster for me. "First, chew it briefly and then swallow. You should taste something sweet after you swallow. That's the way it's supposed to be." I slide the small flesh into my mouth, and after I swallow, the salty taste slowly dissipates and reveals a soft, sweet flavor in the back of my throat. Perfect.