Taylor Shellfish Processing Facility
Owner: Taylor Shellfish
Use: Wet Processing Facility
Location: Shelton, WA
Size: 22,000 sq ft
Consulting Engineers: Food Facility Engineering Inc., & PSM Engineers
Founded in the 1890s, Taylor Shellfish is the largest shellfish producer of farmed shellfish in North America. Managed by the fourth and fifth generations of the Taylor family, Taylor Shellfish Farms continually reinvests in new processing facilitates, aquaculture techniques, and tideland preservation.
A leader in sustainably farmed oysters, clams, mussels, and geoducks, Taylor Shellfish’s latest improvement was the addition of storage space and an innovative new wet processing facility. The wet processing facility is the first of its kind and solves two problems that continually plague shellfish harvest areas—a short window of harvest time due to tides, and limited shelf life.
The new multi-million-dollar wet processing facility will enable the company to better meet demand with the freshest and safest possible shellfish products year-round. Shellfish are harvested and then stored in purified saltwater—allowing for much longer shelf life as well as a safer, bacteria-free product. This new wet processing method with allow Taylor Shellfish to clean and ship over 270,000 pounds of fresh shellfish per week.
Taylor relied on Mountain’s expertise to choose durable building materials that could stand up to continual exposure to saltwater and grit. Mountain was up to the challenge and built the project using material that is not only resistant to saltwater corrosion but also will self-heal cracks that may occur in the concrete. The end result is a facility that has the potential to revolutionize the shellfish industry with a safer, fresher product.
