Let’s Eat, Mississippi: Two Crackers Oyster Company

• “Working with my sons is so special to me. We are a true working Mississippi family, and that’s something I’m proud of,” says Mark Havard.

Mark Havard II combined his love for farming and his love of the water to create a company that fuels his passions while supporting his family. 

“I grew up on a farm in George County,” he says. “Growing up in Lucedale, our family raised cows and pigs, so we had chores to do every day. I learned about responsibility and work ethic at an early age. We were solely responsible for the care of the animals.” 

While work on the farm was constant, in their downtime, Mark’s parents took the family out on their ski boat, which is where Mark developed his love for the water. 

After high school, Mark studied finance at Southern Miss.

“I moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast after college to be close to the water.”

He worked in banking before going to work as the CFO of a car dealership. During that time, he spent time with his own two boys, Hiram and Hudson, in a boat every chance he got.

“It was kind of selfish on my part, but when we were in a boat, I had them held captive,” he laughs. “I have enjoyed the time we have had together on the water. We have learned a lot together.” 

Looking for a way to escape the corporate grind, Mark reflected on how he wanted to live his life.

“I wanted a way to create income while keeping my boys in a boat. I also wanted a way to be a non-generational farmer. It’s not easy to get into farming if you weren’t born into it.” 

Oyster farming became a natural answer for Mark. He researched oyster farming and learned that the state of Mississippi has an 800-acre aquaculture park of bottomland off the southern coast of Deer Island available for lease to oyster farmers. Mark leases two acres through the Secretary of State’s office. He calls his business Two Crackers Oyster Company. 

“I started with 20,000 oysters. The ‘seeds’ we buy are the size of a number two pencil eraser.”

There was a learning curve when it came to growing the oysters, but Mark stayed with it.

“I love going to the farm, because we see something new every time we go. It’s nature, and it’s fascinating.” 

The time from seed to harvesting an oyster is one year. Those 20,000 oysters multiplied, and Mark was producing 200,000 to 225,000 oysters a year. He has now ramped up to 400,000 a year.

“This is such a unique, clean product. We practice off-bottom aquaculture, meaning our cages float on top of the water. They are in the most nutrient-rich column of water. Each oyster filters fifty gallons of water each day.” 

Mark explains that he grows two types of oysters.

“We have diploids, which naturally grow in the wild and reproduce in the summer months. We also grow triploids, which are the mules of the oyster world. They are sterile, so they don’t reproduce. We harvest those in the summer while they are fat and happy.”

Mark and his sons go out to the farm a couple of times a week.

“In the first two months, we touch the oysters each week, then about once a month. We have to move them from small mesh bags to progressively larger mesh bags as they grow. Twice a year, we put them through a tumbler that separates the small, medium, and large oysters.” 

They also make sure the oyster cages are free of predators.

“We have to go in and clean out crabs and other things.”

And yes, sometimes those crabs will make it onto the Havard family’s dinner plates.

“The cages are like a floating reef. There are shrimp, barnacles, and other things – part of an ecosystem.”

He explains that fisheries is a dying art.

“Just like raising livestock on land, the oysters rely on us. If we don’t do it, it doesn’t get done, and they will die.” 

Mark says he harvests to order. They mostly sell directly to customers who place orders with them. They deliver in the Coast area, up to Hattiesburg, and many customers meet them at the dock to pick up their order.

“We don’t use a broker or middleman because we want the oysters to be on people’s tables the same night we harvest them. Right now we are selling to three restaurants: One Thirty One Lemeuse in Biloxi, Staigle’s Steakhouse in Wiggins, and Keg & Barrel in West Hattiesburg. We’d love to add some more.”

Two Crackers Oyster Company is a Genuine Mississippi product, certified through the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.

“Commissioner Andy Gipson and his folks went out on the boat with us to the farm recently,” Mark says. “It was great knowing they support what we are doing.” 

Getting positive feedback is what fuels Mark to keep going.

“People tell us ours are the best oysters they’ve ever eaten. They are clean, delicate, and salty.” 

The company also sells oyster knives and a seasoning they’ve created called Deer Island.

“It’s fantastic,” Mark says. “It’s also good on pork and chicken.”

He also recently got his shell shippers’ delivery license, so he can resell shrimp from local shrimp fishermen.

The big goal for Mark is to grow the company to fully support his family.

“I work another job three days a week. I have one son at Mississippi State, and the other son is starting community college soon. We dream of working full-time as Mississippi oyster farmers. Working with my sons is so special to me. We are a true working Mississippi family, and that’s something I’m proud of.”