The concept is simple: Lowcountry oysters are some of the best in the world. So, shouldn’t everyone get to see, taste and experience them for themselves?
In November 2015, the Virginia Oyster Trail was officially launched, and for the first time, attractions spanning across 250 miles were seamlessly connected to provide Virginia visitors with nearly every aspect of the state’s oyster production and consumption.
Bluffton resident and entrepreneur Larry Hughes admired this from afar as the project blossomed, but he harbored one major critique.
“They (the organizers of the Virginia Oyster Trail) are spectacularly good at what they do, which is promoting the oysters in the state. The problem is their oysters aren’t the greatest. Ours are,” Hughes told The Island Packet in a recent interview. “I looked at that business model, looked at what they were doing, and then I looked at our incredible marine ecosystem and our treasures. Any way you want to judge them — competition wise or consumer-wise — our oysters are better.”