About Leavins Seafood

Leavins Seafood opened in 1972 along the banks of the Apalachicola River, less than a mile from one of the cleanest estuaries and most productive marine ecosystems in North America. At that time, owners Grady and Alice Leavins left their industry R&D careers behind to pursue their weekend passion of oystering full-time. ‘Miss Alice’ says, “in those days Grady did all the oystering and I handled shucking and delivering.” She soon began driving west to Louisiana twice a week as demand for the fresh Apalachicola oysters grew.

Today, Leavins Seafood employs a staff of over 75 with drivers delivering to wholesale food distributors from Key West to California. We're sorry, Leavins Seafood does not sell to individuals, but you'll probably find our products in your favorite seafood restaurant. Continued devotion to innovation has led Grady Leavins to help establish the country’s only Oyster Industry Lab in Apalachicola, a partnership with the University of Florida. Additionally, Leavins Frosted™ Oyster is a patented product growing in popularity across the restaurant industry due to its unique ability to maintain the natural flavors and nutrients of the wild harvested oyster without harming taste.

Aquaculture/Farm-raised Oysters

In the Gulf of Mexico, aquaculture (farm-raised) oysters are grown in the same environment and under the same conditions as wild harvested oysters. The only difference is that wild oysters are harvested in public beds and aquaculture oyster are grown/harvested in private leases, or leased sea bottoms. No chemicals are used in any of the steps of oyster aquaculture. Clutch material is spread on the sea bottom or planted to aid in the settling of the natural spat. Both public and private beds are closely monitored to assure safety and sustainability. Harvest is controlled through seasons in the public beds (summer and winter beds) or through limited harvest (private leases) to minimize the chances of overharvest and depletion of the natural stocks. In addition, the state officials and lease owners are constantly replanting empty shells or other approved clutch materials as part of their resource management program.