Great Eastern Mussel Farms was started by "Chip" Davison, who learned the techniques from Ed Myers, the "grandfather" of mussel farming in Maine. Chip decided to go out on his own with partner Frank Simon, duplicating the rope culture technique learned from Myers.

	A sunset on the coast of Maine.

From its beginning in 1977, Great Eastern Mussel Farms has had a a commitment to quality, when the only reliable markets for mussels were Italian neighborhoods on the Eastern seaboard.

In 1980, after traveling throughout Europe investigating the latest mussel farming techniques, Davison and Simon decided to try the Dutch bottom-culture method in order to keep prices competitive; bottom culturing in the Netherlands has existed for more than three centuries.

Great Eastern is the only company in North America using the bottom culture techniques developed in Europe.

The mussels were originally harvested at lease sites on the Sheepscot River in Edgecomb, Maine, purged off the dock in lobster crates, cleaned and boxed in Simon's basement, then hauled to buyers in a pick-up truck, all from a 10' X20' foot non-weatherized, pine building.

In 1982, Great Eastern outgrew its original plant in Edgecomb and moved to its present location on Long Cove in St. George, near Tenants Harbor, Maine, where the St. George River empties into Penobscot Bay; the plant looks out on Mussel Ridge in Long Cove.

Their first shipment was just 8 bushels to San Francisco, compared to 2,000 bushels shipped nationwide per week twenty years later.

Great Eastern Mussel Farms' operation is totally unique; no one else is bottom culturing mussels in North American. They have the only bottom culture dragger in North America, called the F/V St. George, which was commissioned in 1986; the dragger is co-captained by Hubba Bradford and his son, Adam, with a sternman as its only crew.

A load of "seed" mussels, dragged from shallow seed beds and is spread or "broadcast" throughout the lease areas. Seeding improves quality, because the mussels are placed at the optimum depth and density and where the current brings them the most food (plankton). The matured mussels are harvested in 18 months.

The F/V St. George is the only bottom culture seeding and harvesting vessel in North America

Shell waste is composted and turned into usable product such as compost and potting soil (produced by Coast of Maine Organic Products, producer and distributor of organic soils and fertilizers, derived mostly from marine by-products).

Sales surged in the early '80's; Great Eastern Mussel Farms is the largest mussel aquaculture operation in the United States and has grown steadily since 1990.

The company leases up to 150 acres of carefully tended beds from the State of Maine; the seeding effort has increased fivefold over the past five years; leaseholds are located in unpolluted areas northeast of Kennebec River.

No other company has such huge indoor, 20,000 gallon aerated purging tanks.

State-of-the-art "debyssing" machines were purchased in 1997 to remove the beards (called byssus) from the mussels; they are specially designed Dutch-style machines; the machines snips the beards, rather than pulling them off.

Mussels are tested for: meat yield percentage, pearls, taste and appearance.

Some product is from natural beds; some is "grown." All Great Eastern mussels are purged, graded for size, super-chilled in the summer and de-bearded. "We refer to the product as 'farm quality' mussels and nature's original fast food," says Terry Callery, the company's sales manager.

Great Eastern is the largest supplier of mussels in the U.S. and it pioneered a two-pound retail poly bag which features a money-back guarantee, holes for air and drainage, recipes, handling instructions, a website and a toll-free hotline.

Mussels are shipped in a 2-pound retail pack and 10-pound and 25-pound restaurant packs. Over 100,000 lbs. of mussels are harvested every week.