Kellum
Crassostrea virginica
A mild Chesapeake Bay oyster packed by W.E. Kellum Seafood of Weems, Virginia, a family company since 1948. Plump and tender with little salt and a buttery, sweet taste; it comes from beds across Virginia's Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
At a Glance
Kellum is an Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) from the US East Coast. It is mildly briny (2/5 brininess) and distinctly sweet (4/5 sweetness), with buttery, sweet, mild brine flavors and a finish that is mild and sweet. It is considered a beginner-friendly oyster.
Flavor Profile
Finish
Mild and sweet
Expert Notes
Kellum oysters are packed by W.E. Kellum Seafood in Weems, Virginia, a family company that W. Ellery Kellum started in 1948 as a one-room shucking house on Carters Creek. It is a packer's brand, not a single farm or cove: the company says its oysters come from Virginia's public beds and its own beds in the Northern Neck, the Middle Peninsula and the Chesapeake Bay, most of them within an hour's drive of the plant. It sells them live in the shell at about three inches and shucked by the pint and gallon. The company describes them as plump, delicate, tender and slightly salty. Fleet Landing in Charleston, the one menu note we found, prints no salinity, with buttery, creamy, umami and sweet. Expect the mild, low-salt profile of the middle Chesapeake; because the beds vary, so will the oyster, and the scores are a general guide. Origin & Characteristics
- Species
- Crassostrea virginica
- Native to
- USA
- Grown in
- Weems, Virginia, Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula, Chesapeake Bay, Virginia
- Size
- Medium (about 3 inches)
- Shell Color
- Gray-white to tan
- Meat Color
- Ivory to light gray
Where to Try It
Charleston
- Fleet Landing Restaurant & Bar Waterfront, near the City Market
On these menus when we checked on October 1, 2026. Raw-bar lists change daily.
About the Farm
W.E. Kellum Seafood
Est. 1948W. Ellery Kellum opened a one-room oyster shucking house on Carters Creek in 1948. The company says it has run without a break for more than 75 years and is owned and operated by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, in a 10,000-square-foot plant that Weaver Street Market says still incorporates the original building. It also deals in scallops, soft crabs and Chesapeake fin fish.
- Cultivation Method
- public and company-owned oyster beds; spat-on-shell planting
History & Background
The company says its oysters come from certified stock grown on Virginia's public beds and on company-owned beds in the Northern Neck, the Middle Peninsula and the Chesapeake Bay. Weaver Street Market, a grocery cooperative that sells its shucked oysters, reports that Kellum returns shell to the reefs, sets hatchery larvae on shell in tanks and plants the result on its own beds and on sanctuary reefs, and works with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission on reef building.
Fleet Landing in Charleston listed them as Kellums, from Weems, on its oyster menu dated August 7, 2026. The company says they are sold at Kroger and Whole Foods as well as to restaurants.
Did You Know?
- Family owned since 1948, now into the fourth generation
- The company lists five size grades for shucked oysters, from small to count
- Listed by the company as available year-round
- Family members have served on a Virginia shellfish replenishment committee
Sources & References
This information was compiled from 4 sources.
- Products — W.E. Kellum Seafood
- About Us — W.E. Kellum Seafood
- W.E. Kellum's Oysters — Weaver Street Market
- Oyster Specials (August 7, 2026) — Fleet Landing Restaurant & Bar
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Learn More
The Big Five: A Complete Guide to Commercial Oyster Species
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