FAQS

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHIPPING & DELIVERY?

If you have visited our new website you will notice that we offer delivery and shipping. They are indicated by the mailbox 📫 and delivery truck 🚚 icons shown in this picture. Be sure to look for these icons when placing your order! Delivery is only for Carteret County, NC. Shipping is for anyone who needs oysters delivered by UPS.

Yes, we do offer shipping ANYWHERE in the country, however we only deliver in Carteret County, NC (for now). Not all items are eligible for shipping. If you have any questions about placing an order, please reach out!

HOW WE GROW OUR OYSTERS & HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GROW?

Carolina Gold Oysters are grown in the wild, just like any other wild oyster! Oysters feed off the natural plankton and algae organisms that already grow in the water. Carolina Gold Oysters grow in a floating bag system. This system has floating mesh bags that hold the oysters just below the surface in the water column. To have a general idea, the water column is measured from the bottom surface of the body of water to the top surface of the body of water. This area of the water column is proven to be the highest quality of food provided by Mother Nature. Because Carolina Gold Oysters are growing in the water column, they never touch the mud, which is preventative of being gritty and muddy when harvested.

A Carolina Gold Oyster, a 10 to 12-millimeter seedling to a full 3-inch oyster, takes between 6-9 months (fastest growing) and 10-18 months (slowest growing). An oyster that grows in the mud takes about 3 years to grow full size.

WHEN DO WE HARVEST OUR OYSTERS?

If you are an oyster lover, I’m sure you have heard of the “R-Rule” (can I eat oysters in a month without an R). If you haven’t, the “R-Rule” is referring to the months in the year that include the letter ‘r’ (September, October, November, December, January and March). The question is, does this rule still apply in today’s technology and research?

The “R-Rule” is out of style! Let’s move into the now and future in the world of oysters. Enjoy oysters every month of the year!

WHERE ARE YOUR OYSTERS GROWN?

Our oysters are raised in the waters of Wards Creek, which is a small creek off North River. North River has two major sources of fresh ocean water that feeds our oysters twice a day (at both high tides). This makes the oysters very meaty and gives them a fresh, salty and ocean taste.

SHIPPING

We guarantee our product will be fresh when it arrives on your door step. We ship via UPS overnight.

Orders ship out Monday – Thursday, with deliveries of Tuesdays through Friday. We do not offer Saturday deliveries, due to delivery restrictions in many areas.

All orders placed Monday through Thursday, before 8am can ship same day. All orders placed after 8am on Thursday, will not ship until the following Monday, unless a later delivery date is requested. (Holidays can alter this schedule.)

We ship to the address you provide us. Minor details can be the cause of major stress. Please take a moment to validate that the information you provided is correct. Carolina Gold Oyster Company and UPS will NOT be held liable for misrouted packages resulting from incorrect shipping information provided by you.

TRACK YOUR PACKAGE

Track your package HERE.