Everyone on the farm brings something different—science, history, hustle—but we all share a love of this work and this water.

Grower & Owner

Duane has been farming this piece of tideland for 77 years. He has memories of joining his dad, Aaron, to meet the boats that first transported Pacific oyster seed from Japan to Seattle. Throughout his life, he was mentored by pillars in the industry - Dr. Kenneth Chew, Justin Taylor, Nat Waldrip, Ray and Newell Ellison and Herb Nelson.

He continues to work the tide digging clams, forking oysters, and continually coming up with more efficient ways to do things. He holds the wisdom and knowledge that Evie and Amanda and many others throughout the industry draw from. Duane is a leader in making the half shell Olympia oyster a commercial commodity. His love for the native Olympia oyster continues to guide Calm Cove to this day.

Grower & Compliance Officer

Evie grew up on the farm and has fond memories of hosting her classmates from Olympia Community School and the Options Program to the farm for class field trips. Her love for shellfish and the marine environment carried her through a biology degree at St. Mary’s College of Maryland on the banks of the St. Mary’s River and eventually back to the shores of Totten Inlet to work the tides alongside her dad.

She is grateful for the amazing crew that help on the beach. In addition to beach work, Evie is the bookkeeper and keeps Calm Cove up to date of its federal and state permits and licenses.

Chief Financial Officer & Owner

Jonnel brings her skills from a career at the WA State Legislature in social & healthcare policy.

She helps with annual seeding and has an eye for cleaning up the beach. She creates the Bluetrace tags each week for our shipments. And she meets with our WA DOH inspector twice a year to make sure we stay in compliance with federal and state regulations.

Grower

Anna lives in the Bay Area. So she mostly supports the business from afar. But for Anna, digging clams is like riding a bicycle. So when she’s home, she can jump right back into the swing of things - digging clams or helping with other jobs on the beach.

Grower

Amanda loves the natural world. That’s one of the many reasons she fits right in at Calm Cove. She has her bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. Oyster farming was not something she was exposed to growing up in Michigan. But when she and her husband moved to Olympia and she started working at Calm Cove, she fell in love with the rhythm and the sights and the sounds of the farm. Amanda is a great problem solver and leader for the crew. She has a great intuitive sense on how best to do things. We are grateful she keeps showing up day after day to work, learn and grow into her role on the crew. This helps us work, learn and grow as a company.

Grower

Sam is in her second year at UW Seattle studying Environmental Science and Statistics. Sam is strong, dedicated and is always thinking 4 steps ahead. We feel so lucky when she can join the crew on her breaks from school. Sam has worked for another small shellfish grower for a few years so she already knew how to work the tide and pace herself to get every job done. Sam delights in discovering the nudibranchs, hermit crabs, polychaete worms and other marine life that inhabits the farm.

Grower

Terence is a marine scientist and keen observer. We added Terence to the crew last spring when we needed extra hands culling our Olympia oyster crop. He jumped right into the sticky mud with his good humor and a steady pace. His help contributed to us having a bumper crop of Olys ready for market this winter. We continue to call upon Terence when we have a big project like seeding. He is eager to help when he can fit us into his many other responsibilities and we are grateful for his help.

Grower

Nate is a full time student at Olympia High School and South Puget Sound Community College. Nate joined the crew this summer when his sister Sam brought him along to dig clams one day. We instantly loved Nate and welcome his help when he has breaks from school and soccer.

Grower

Keely and Evie met in middle school. A few years ago, Keely expressed her love of oysters and interest in becoming an oyster farmer. Calm Cove invites Keely out to help with seeding each fall and spring. Keely and her enthusiasm for the marine world and oysters is now an integral part of the Calm Cove crew. We hope she keeps coming back even when she finds her own piece of tideland to farm.

Kuma and Buddy provide emotional support, endless entertainment and a strong work ethic (Buddy) and play ethic (Kuma).