No sooner had she landed a new job at an oyster farm in the Middle East than international borders were shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, locking out her colleagues who were to join the team.
The Middle East farm had just secured funding to scale up, and with no foreign skilled workers coming in, Gloria Justin had to learn fast to fill the vacuum.
She was quickly trained on everything oyster farming firsthand, an experience that gave the 30-year-old a deep understanding of the entire process, from nurturing baby oysters to ensuring top-quality harvests ready for the market.
“Then during one of my annual visits back home in Kenya, I spent time at the Coast and noticed that despite having perfect conditions for oyster farming, Kenya didn’t have the kind of plump, meaty oysters produced in other parts of the world.
This realisation sparked a business idea that gave birth to Kenya’s first oyster farm,” says Ms Justin, the founder of Swahili Coast Farms.
The love for the delicacy is still low in Kenya, and so is the history and magic of the molluscs, which are slurped raw.
Ms Justin adds that the demand far outweighs supply, forcing the market to rely entirely on expensive imports and wild catch oysters which put pressure on natural stocks.
She says her farm, which is located in the Indian Ocean, uses an off-bottom culture method in which she imports baby oysters from
France at approximately Sh400,000 of 150,000 spats (baby oysters).
The spats are then put on a 100-metre-long line supported at each end with 1.5-tonne weight to control tide disruptions. A line has 87 nets/ lanterns and each lantern has 10 levels where they stock the baby oysters.
Oysters are usually harvested as per the market requirements, which range from six months from stocking but this again depends on the species and production environment.
Every month, the nets are taken out to check mortality. The live oysters are placed through a tube of different sizes for grading and cleaning while, at the same time, trimming the edges.
Gloria Justin, founder of Swahili Coast Farms off Gazi Bay, Kwale County.
Photo credit: Pool
They are then taken back to the nets, awaiting orders from buyers. Once an order comes, the harvester simply picks the order by size.
Swahili Coast Farms does manual harvesting and sorting due to its relatively small size, after which they clean any debris from the harvested oysters, cool them and take them to the market directly.
At present, Swahili Coast Farms has a concession for 10 hectares from the government to extract resources from the ocean.
However, being among the very few oyster farmers in Kenya comes with its own set of challenges.
For Ms Justin, it was a case of lack of clear regulatory framework, difficulty in procuring costly specialised equipment, and lack of skilled manpower which was nearly nonexistent. She also faced difficulties in securing funding for capital expenditure and keeping the business running. These challenges, she says, have made it difficult to increase production.
“Leave alone scaling, we also had to prove to the local market that farmed oysters could match, if not surpass, wild catch oysters in terms of quality,” she says.
She was forced to train her own staff to ensure they master the delicate oyster farming techniques.
"Oyster farming is not just about growing shellfish but also understanding the ocean, monitoring water quality, and perfecting the harvesting process to produce premium oysters," she says, adding, "navigating regulatory frameworks took patience and persistence, engaging numerous stakeholders, and government officials. We also had to conduct an extensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment."
To overcome the hurdle of imported costly equipment and their high logistics and freight costs, Swahili Coast Farms at times had to find innovative solutions by working with local artisans and the community, to make equipment using locally available resources.
Who buys oysters?
Luckily, she says, she has not struggled to find a market.
The young entrepreneur says at Sh25 per piece of oyster, the market has been receptive and that the molluscs are currently consumed and enjoyed in high-end restaurants in Diani.
As she looks to expand distribution to other parts of the country, her biggest challenge is solving cold chain logistics.
"This will ensure we reach further markets, including breaking into the export market, while maintaining freshness. But this requires the right investment,” she explains.
To diversify her revenue stream, Ms Justin now does farm tours, especially for tourists curious about oyster farming. The paying guests also get to enjoy the oysters offshore.
Gloria Justin, founder of Swahili Coast Farms off Gazi Bay, Kwale County.
Photo credit: Pool
For most farmers, feed costs remain a production pain. Unlike other forms of aquaculture, Ms Justin says oyster farming does not require artificial feeds. Oysters eat phytoplankton or small bits of algae suspended in the water. A year into the business, she says the business’s growth has been steady and exciting, testing the waters both literally and figuratively.
“Over time we have added another line [where oysters grow in controlled environments that float in the open water] and with the right investment, we plan to scale up significantly by adding eight more longlines within the next year,” she says.
This expansion will allow the company to produce up to 35 tonnes of oysters annually to meet the growing demand.
Reality check and baby steps
Looking back, if there is one thing she has learnt as an entrepreneur, it is that having a great business idea is not enough to secure funding and that passion alone will not open doors to investors.
"The investors need to see a detailed business plan, solid market research, and a clear roadmap for sustainability and growth," she says.
Her advice to young entrepreneurs is that bootstrapping and proving your concept increases investor confidence and being able to show that your business model works before seeking large investments.
“At the point of seeking large investments, ensure you have a well-structured business plan, have done market research and have a financial model to back the vision. Do not be discouraged by rejections but rather use the feedback to learn, refine your pitch and look for investors that match the stage you are in,” she says.
She has had to learn how to translate her vision into numbers, projections, and concrete strategies, that proved the viability of oyster farming in Kenya.
“Stepping into completely uncharted territory armed only with technical skills and knowledge means every decision had to be carefully analysed and to minimise risks, I started small, importing only a limited number of baby oysters from France for our first batch,” says Ms Justin.
But she avoided some costly start-up mistakes, and this has helped her strengthen operations.
“There’s no magic formula for success; it has been a mixture of patience, persistence, and strategic planning, starting small and growing gradually, all driven by a genuine love for what we do, and when you combine passion with the right mindset and a willingness to learn, growth becomes a natural part of the journey,” concludes Ms Justin.
