Our Story
A father and three sons sat on the engine box of a deadrise workboat moored at Gootee's Marina in Church Creek, Maryland. The boys were too small to wear shucking gloves, so dad shucked oysters one by one, and they disappeared faster than he worked. Blues music played, and salty air skated across the surface of the Chesapeake. This is how our oyster story begins.
We have eaten oysters from the Bayou to the cliffs of Maine and the briny West Coast. No matter the location, it's always been a family thing, but we've taken in friends — new and old — along the way. The water, sun, wind, and seafood that come with them are all part of our life and have been since we first dug our toes into the sands of the Chesapeake Bay.
Everywhere we went — and that's most of North America and choice European hideouts — could only serve oysters with two possibilities: cocktail and mignonette sauce everywhere you looked!
We knew that oysters deserved something better. It had to be fresh, dynamic, sweet, and spicy, and something that nobody had thought possible. Oyster Salsa was born after hundreds of trials and failed attempts. Some were edible and some ... well, let's just say the local pizza joint was glad to have our business.
Black Pearl Spice Co. is a labor of love. Love of the Chesapeake Bay lifestyle. Love of working with and being near family. Love of building something that is exciting and new. We are shaking up the seafood industry because it needs it. We have a few new products up our sleeve and continue growing our brand outwards — never forgetting that our toes started in the sands of the Chesapeake.
Shells up!
The Mullaneys