Franklin firm meeting nation’s ‘Raw Desire’ for oysters

Nestled on the corner of Willow Street in Franklin could be the Gulf South’s largest oyster processing company. While marketing its trade with catch phrases like “Raw Desire,” “Unadulterated Pleasure” and “Once Forbidden Passion,” teamed with photos that appear as though they were borrowed from the cover of a romance novel, AmeriPure has emerged as an industry leader.

To its credit, the company has been shipping millions of oysters across the U.S. since the mid 1990s. AmeriPure uses a patent process that meets all health regulations, including those set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The St. Mary-based company generates an annual payroll of $1.5 million, significantly boosting the parish’s economy, especially given that most of its employees live in the area.

The payroll figure doesn’t take into account the additional dollars AmeriPure invests locally. Nor does it factor the monthly utility costs, which exceed $10,000 during the summer months.

And the payoff includes Louisiana fishermen; AmeriPure buys 80 percent of its oysters within the state.

“AmeriPure provides seafood wholesalers and distributors with premium quality half-shell oysters that have a superior shelf life and yield factor,” said managing partner Patrick Fahey. “We use a patented, all-natural process to reduce potentially harmful bacteria in raw oysters to create a safe product.”

Fahey said the company reduces Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria to undetectable levels, creating a safe product and “the raw consumable delicacy that many people love and enjoy.”

The process begins when live harvested oysters are pressure washed to remove natural grit and debris from the shells; then culled to ensure half-shell quality, Fahey explained. After grading for size, the oysters are individually hand-banded with a rubber band, which allows each oyster to retain its natural flavor, or liquor, as those in the industry describe it.

The oysters are then placed into a 140-degree bath. Heat levels are maintained with computerized temperature controls that are calibrated to kill off the bacteria. Next comes a 40-degree, ice cold bath to shock the bacteria and stop the heat transfer. As many as 1,500 oysters can be treated at one time with the process, which lasts about 24 minutes, Fahey noted.

Because each oyster is held together with a rubber band, it is sealed from the water process at all times. Fahey said the process involves no filtering, purification or chemicals.

“These in-shell oysters are still raw and have to be shucked fresh,” Fahey said.

AmeriPure’s process has opened new markets for oyster sales, the managing partner said. “In fact, this week, we shipped 46,000 oysters to Miami for the Super Bowl,” Fahey added. “Most of our business is out of state – about 97 percent.”

Although the product is safe and meets all governmental regulations, AmeriPure has been met with economic resistance. Simply put, many wholesalers don’t want to pay more for the product, which is roughly 8 to 10 cents more than an unprocessed oyster, Fahey said.

“Many restaurants opt to fry, bake or grill (oysters), which allows them to bypass buying a product that’s processed,” he explained.

But AmeriPure has its advocates. Ti Martin, of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, proclaims the flavor of AmeriPure’s product. “They had a strong flavor of the sea, which is what I’m looking for,” he said. “I don’t want it to be some purified something. I want to know it’s an oyster. And these were really good.”

In his years with the company, Fahey said fourth-generation oysterman John Tesvich has grown AmeriPure tenfold.

“We were courted here,” he said.

According to former Franklin mayor and current state Rep. Sam Jones, AmeriPure was courted via the state’s Main Street Project. Initially, Tesvich and Fahey were considering basing the company in Golden Meadow.

“AmeriPure has turned out to be a diamond for us,” Jones said. “They’re an outstanding quiet business, but I’d take 10 more businesses and business owners like them in a heartbeat.”

Via a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant, Jones and Mike Domangue, former Franklin economic development director, were able to lure AmeriPure to St. Mary Parish.

“They are such an asset,” Jones said. “They employ as many as 70 people during the peak of their season, and their product is totally safe.

“You hear so many stories about businesses that the government helps out with CDBG funds that don’t measure up,” he continued. “They don’t pay their bills. But (AmeriPure), they’re one of the stories that turned out right.”

Or, as Fahey proclaims, “Raw oysters are a passion that knows no bounds. As our marketing literature states, it’s a romance unfettered by anything more than a squeeze of lemon or a dash of hot sauce. There’s no difference in taste, texture or appearance,” he said.