The Louden Family at Coromandel Oyster Company
For Annie Louden and her family, the ocean is more than scenery, it’s the foundation of a way of life shaped by tides, seasons, and a deep respect for the Coromandel Harbour. At Coromandel Oyster Company, that connection is evident in every step of the journey, from ocean to farm gate.
Owned by John and Anne Louden since February 2007, Coromandel Oyster Company is a proudly family-run, vertically integrated business. The Loudens catch and farm wild oysters, then harvest, process, and distribute them nationwide, all while welcoming visitors to experience the story firsthand at their quaint little oyster shack on the main highway into Coromandel town.
Just behind the shop lies the heart of the operation, a two-hectare inter-tidal oyster farm in the harbour, where around 40,000 oysters are growing at any given time. Further afield, the family also tends a sub-tidal mussel long-line where oysters are grown in deeper water, along with an eight-hectare inter-tidal nursery farm on the East Coast at Whangapoua. Together, these farms reflect a careful, hands-on approach that balances scale with stewardship.
Visitors can see, taste, and feel that connection when they stop in. The seafood shop, open daily, offers freshly harvested oysters and mussels sold straight from the source, alongside locally caught seafood. You can also purchase fish and chips alongside other hot, classic Kiwi favourites, best enjoyed overlooking the harbour where the day’s catch began. It’s a relaxed, welcoming place where locals and travellers gather, drawn by freshness and authenticity rather than fuss.
Beyond Coromandel, the Louden family’s seafood reaches tables across the country. Oysters and mussels are available through their online shop and delivered nationwide, carrying the flavours of Coromandel Harbour far beyond its shores.
For Annie and the Louden family, Coromandel Oyster Company is about more than seafood. It’s about caring for the ocean that sustains them, sharing their harvest honestly, and inviting people to reconnect with where their food comes from. Whether it’s a dozen oysters from the shack, fish and chips by the water, or a delivery arriving at your door, every experience tells the same story, one of family, place, and seafood shaped by the sea.
