Portrait of Guy Sanchez oyster farmer

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Behind every product a producer

Guy Sanchez – The Mediterranean oysters

” It is in Loupian, in Hérault, that we live in harmony with the pond of Thau, facing the Mediterranean. This is where we carry the legacy of our ancestors. We breed our oysters with passion while respecting the environment. Our shellfish farm, with contemporary and authentic architecture, is designed to take great care in the different phases of oyster growth: from birth to the shell on the plate! ” Guy Sanchez

THE SANCHEZ FAMILY

A dynasty of oyster farmers for 4 generations …

Nadine and Christiane, mother and grandmother of Guy Sanchez respectively, Louis and Réné Sanchez, grandfather and father, oyster farmers since 1950.

Passed on their passion for the sea and the profession to their son. From the age of 15, Guy crisscrosses the shellfish aquaculture tables on his boat and is ecstatic at the beauty of this unique site.

At 18, Guy Sanchez became the owner of his first farm in the port of Loupian. Obviously, an alliance is formed between man and sea.

In 1989, he had 4 tables, like the majority of breeders in the basin.

In 2002, he bought the family farm, then in 2009, a commercial company with all its shellfish tables. Then he went from 4 to 40 tables and started packing and shipping. That year, he seized the opportunity to become a shareholder in the Saline de Gruissan, where he developed the breeding of the St Martin special oyster.

He rearranged part of the salt tables for refining and storage, which could accommodate 150 tonnes of oysters.In 2020, he merged these two companies into one and built a new building bringing together production and shipping on a single site. Thanks to his experience and his visionary spirit, he has become the largest oyster producer in the Thau basin by volume.

With its 45 tables, it produces 300 to 500 tonnes of merchantable oysters per year, or an average of 400 tonnes.

Today, Loïc and Gaël, his two sons have joined him. Like a smuggler, he transmits his know-how and his passion. This 4th generation, looking to the future, with respect for family traditions, is continuing the adventure. New projects will emerge in this new building imagined as a puzzle; a concrete nave housing the production and a wooden nave accommodating shipping and marketing. Perfect balance combining traditions, environment and modernity.

Oyster Signature Guy Sanchez

The Signature oyster is a top-of-the-range product, fleshy and crunchy, it gives us a sugar and nutty flavor on the palate and is popular with amateurs.

Oyster Mediterranee Guy Sanchez

The Mediterranean oyster is an oyster with a lot of character mainly due to its high iodine content on a salt note. It is easily recognizable thanks to its serrated shell which is due to the suspension breeding method unique to the Mediterranean.

Oyster Bouzigues Organic Guy Sanchez

Since September 10, 2015 Guy Sanchez has been offering a range of organic Bouzigues oysters. This oyster was able to see the light of day following new procedures leading to the obtaining of the organic certification validated by the VERITAS offices on the shipping site and also our production site.

To do this, the company have carried out a seabed expertise across our entire farm in order to select the tables most conducive to the development of an organic oyster.

Several seabed water surveys have been carried out to demonstrate the high chemical and ecological quality of the waters of the Thau basin according to very specific specifications.

Thanks to an environmental study, it’s able to validate the quality of the seabed in the Thau lagoon.

Regarding the selection of spat, the specifications require to use spat produced exclusively from natural collection or from certified organic diploid hatchery spat.

Thanks to this diversity of spat, it is possible to produce and sell ORGANIC oysters all year round.