Bayou La Batre, Alabama, U.S.A.-based oyster-farming firm Murder Point Oysters is trying to change the way people think about oysters from the Southern United States by aiming to satisfy the palates of Americans across the nation, rather than just the firm’s home region.
To further that goal, Murder Point made its premiere appearance at Seafood Expo North America during the event’s 2025 edition, taking place in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., from 16 to 18 March, featuring its raw oysters on the half shell.
“When you think of a Southern oyster, you think of a 4- or 5-inch steak of an oyster – the kind of thing you fry or put on a po’ boy but not something you necessarily want to sit down with at a raw bar,” Murder Point CEO Lane Zirlott said. “Our plan was to change the thought of Southern oysters.”
The company aims to create oysters that are appealing to as many people as possible, but the origin of its name is anything but.
A murder stemming from a business dispute occurred many years ago on the spot where the firm now operates, Zirlott told SeafoodSource.
“From that time on, they called it Murder Point,” he said. “We took the name and hit it with the tagline ‘oysters worth killing for.’”
Murder Point Oysters opened in 2012 but struggled to get off the ground in its first few years of operation, only starting to see success when Zirlott decided that he needed to open a hatchery in order to survive.
Now, Murder Point has “the only commercial hatchery in the Gulf.”
“We’re 100 percent vertically integrated,” Zirlott said. “Nobody touches this oyster but us.”
The result is a product Zirlott describes as approachable, appealing to both those who aren’t sure if they love oysters as well as seasoned oyster eaters.
“It’s not so overwhelming that you have to be an oyster guru. If it’s your first time, you can eat this oyster; if you’ve been eating oysters for 100 years, you can appreciate this oyster,” he said. “You get that blast of salt and a rich, creamy, buttery aftertaste.”
Asked how the firm’s product was selling, Zirlott smiled.
“Well, I have 2 million oysters in the water, and we’re getting ready to plant another 10 [million] in the spring. We don’t have none of them [left].”
