Bendito Mar cultivates oysters and Catarina clams in Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur

Two buckets overflowing with ice: one filled with oysters of various sizes, the other with a large bottle of beer stranded in the cold. Thus began the seafood parade. But one oyster in particular stole the show: small, meaty, with a deep, well-polished shell, about 5 centimeters long. Pearly, creamy, with a slight mineral note, firm on the palate with hints of cucumber, and just a few drops of lemon juice.

The question was immediate: where did all this beauty come from? The answer came from Alan Espinoza, partner at Oyster House and founder of the Mexican Oyster Farmers Association and Bendito Mar, the company that made this moment possible. Espinoza grew up on Natividad Island in Baja California Sur, where his father was a fisherman. Sea cucumber, abalone, sea urchin, and macroalgae were his main source of income for years, until overexploitation led him to seek more sustainable and profitable products.

"That's how we arrived in Bahía Magdalena, and eight years ago we founded Bendito Mar, which started as a family cooperative and gradually grew thanks to collaboration with the people of the community."

According to Espinoza, the bay is a paradise for mollusks: “Magdalena Bay is a network of bays and estuaries. We farm in Banderitas and San Buto. The area is surrounded by mangroves that provide nutrients, prevent soil erosion, and protect against hurricanes.” Being far from cities and industries, its waters are free of pollution, and COFEPRIS (Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks) and the Ministry of Health certify that the water meets sanitary standards.

Alan explains the process: “We have Japanese oysters, Crassostrea gigas (now Magellana gigas), the most widely cultivated oyster in the world. We also have Catarina clams and scallops.” The oysters take an average of 12 months to grow. “They arrive at the farm as seed that we buy from certified laboratories. We plant them in different cultivation systems, then they go through the pre-fattening stage, followed by the fattening stage, and finally, harvesting. Catarina clams reach their ideal size in 10 months and scallops in two years. Then we take them to our processing plant in La Paz, sort them by size, clean them, brush them, pack them, and distribute them to Baja California Sur, as well as other states, including Oaxaca, Mexico City, Baja California, and Quintana Roo.” The distribution system combines airplanes, portable refrigerators and vans, and within hours the clams arrive fresh to dozens of restaurants, including those with the FISM (Mexican Seafood Fishing Industry) seal.

Luis Baquedano is from Mexico City. “I started in aquaculture five years ago, processing and packing fish from a farm in La Paz. A year and a half later, I met Alan, who was looking for a processing plant. I’ve always loved oysters; it’s a product I adore, so it made sense to partner with him and dedicate myself completely to oyster farming.” His entrepreneurial spirit led him to complete the chain with his own retail outlets: “We started with this small restaurant, the Oyster House in La Paz, where the oyster, prepared in all its forms, is the star of the menu. We really enjoyed the experience, so when the opportunity arose to open in Mexico City, we didn’t hesitate.”

That's how Barra California Sur was born in the once-popular Santa María la Ribera neighborhood. "It was a very quick and relatively easy success. There weren't any seafood restaurants in the area; it's a simple place, the dishes aren't complicated at all, and people liked it," says Baquedano. Then came a boom: "We opened eight restaurants at once. Masaryk, Roma, Roma Norte, Juárez, Condesa: exponential growth. That's when we realized how difficult it was. We closed several. We kept six: Oyster House in La Paz and Los Cabos, Oyster Shuck in Ensenada, Barra California Sur, Taller de Ostiones, and La Concha de Atlixco in Mexico City." For Baquedano, restaurants aren't just about selling: "We can talk to the diners, observe their expressions when they taste an oyster that was in the sea 36 hours before." We know which ones are their favorites, which bay, what size, and so we can make the necessary adjustments to create a product that suits the tastes of the market."

Alan and Luis's latest project is a non-profit organization. "AMEXO is the Mexican Association of Oyster Farmers. It was founded to support small producers. We help them implement best practices through courses and training. We provide them with access to and contact with new markets and buyers," explains Alan. "We cover all aspects of the industry we're in." Bendito Mar defines itself as a regenerative aquaculture project, and that vision includes integrating communities and other oyster producers. "We're not just looking for immediate economic gain; we want something sustainable in every sense." The Catarina clam and the scallop are endangered due to overexploitation and climate change, so they are cultivated, but only 80% is harvested: the remaining 20% ​​is reserved to regenerate damaged oyster beds.

The next step is what they call oyster tourism, which begins with restructuring a village. “A few years ago, we contacted Susana López of RED Arquitectos. She specializes in sustainable design and development and has also managed to capture the identity of Baja California Sur very well in her architecture. Finally, we went together to San Buto, where we sought to begin the community's development.” The plan includes a community center with a model home made of pulverized seashells, solar panels, and a hurricane-resistant structure. Luis describes his dream this way: “The idea is an oyster village that represents the people, that gives them identity, pride, and, of course, income. We would like to turn San Buto into an oyster village that makes our country proud. So that when people think of quality oysters, they think of France, Japan, the Netherlands, but also of Mexico, Baja California Sur, and especially San Buto.”