Restaurants urged to source Irish seafood to re-start hospitality sector

As restaurants and gastro pubs prepare to re-open, Achill Oysters on Ireland’s west coast is urging outlets to include local oysters and seafood on their menus to help offset the impact of the coronavirus.

Supporting local business, particularly in remote coastal areas, is crucial at this time, says Hugh O’Malley who has grown his business from 50kg of stock in 2014 to a farm ten times that size today.  He also has a processing facility in Ennis, Co Clare, and an online shop to sell his oysters worldwide.

“Our oysters take three and a half years to reach market size. Like a fine wine, their taste is defined by how well they are tended to and the quality of their environment.”

West coast location

Five generations of the O’Malley family have made a living from the sea at Achill which he describes as an ideal location.

“We’re proud to be part of this community, employing local people on our farm. We’re also very grateful to our Irish customers and fishmongers who have continued to support us.”

If the coronavirus has taught him anything, he says, “it is to continue to appreciate what we have in this country, including fantastic seafood right on our doorstep”.

Achill Oysters produces premium Irish rock oysters for the domestic and international market.

“We’re exporting over two tonnes of oysters to China every week, on top of orders to Singapore, Taiwan, the UK, Iceland and the Netherlands.”

While exports  sales have dropped by 80% since the start of the pandemic, O’Malley is confident the sector will recover:

“Until then, we have an opportunity to work with restaurants to grow the domestic oyster market and in doing so, directly and indirectly support Irish business.”

Global markets

Irish oysters are renowned worldwide for their quality, achieving premium prices particularly on Asian markets. The majority of  oysters grown around the coast are exported to meet international demand.

The domestic market for seafood however is growing year-on-year; 2019 figures estimate the sector is worth €496 million.The main growth is in the food-service sector with seafood becoming increasingly popular in our restaurants and gastro pubs.