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Marinelli Shellfish was
established in July of 1982 by Bill Marinelli. The purpose of the
company was to develop markets for aquacultured shellfish. The
product line was increased to include other under utilized
seafood. Initially the marketing and sales were focused on
restaurants concerned with the highest quality and an interest in new
and unusual
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products.
We maintain a strong presence by providing seminars to staff on the
preparation, storage, and serving of seafood, and personal
demonstrations of our product line to interested chefs. Besides
emphasis on marketing, we maintain close relationships with the farms
and producers that supply us and constantly assist in improving the
quality and service our customers have come to expect.
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Marinelli Shellfish is active in the state, national and
international associations and regulatory bodies that concern
themselves in seafood quality and we play an active part in the
advancement of the industry.
Bill Marinelli is a graduate of Southampton
College, New York, with a B.S. in Marine Biology. His first
experience in the shellfish industry came as an undergraduate working
with the local Indian tribe in a project to repopulate the Shinnecock
Bay with native oysters. After graduating in 1977, he was employed as a
biologist by Pigeon Point Shellfish Hatchery in California. This
company was responsible for many of the advances made in shellfish
culture and enjoyed much success as a major producer of shellfish seed,
supplying oyster farms around the world. After being trained in all
aspects of oyster culture, Bill moved onto sales and eventually became
marketing director. Feeling the need for a separate company
totally committed to the marketing of cultured shellfish, he departed
on a course that prepared him for that goal. While encouraging
friends and contacts acquired while at Pigeon Point to grow more
shellfish, he worked as a marketing consultant for a large shrimp farm
in Hawaii. He was then hired by a well-known seafood wholesaler
to assist in the opening of a retail seafood store. After the
opening of Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley, he then secured a position
training under a successful and talented chef, (Mark Miller; 4th
St. Grill, Santa Fe Bar & Grill, Coyote Cafe and Red Sage) and
learned about the restaurant business. When finally starting
Marinelli Shellfish in 1982, he continued to work in a restaurant with
an extensive oyster bar as an “oyster shucker” until the business
became profitable.
Currently Bill Marinelli spends his time
traveling the globe, generating new markets for emerging seafood
resources, working with chefs from through out Europe, Asia and the
Middle East as well as prominent restaurants across the states.
Since the early nineties Bill Marinelli has
been known as the “Oyster King” a term coined in Hong Kong which has
followed him around the world. He is the undisputed expert on oysters
having personally brought many now famous oysters to the market place
including the Kumamoto, Hog Island, Olympia, Hama Hama, Barron Point,
and Westcott Flat. Bill treats oysters with the same attention and
respect given to wines and is able to wax poetic on the differences and
flavors of any oyster. His company is now the largest distributor of
half shell oysters in the WORLD and carries the largest variety of
oysters, upwards of 30 TYPES!
Bill Marinelli has also been instrumental in
the development of many other products including farm raised mussels,
Pink scallops, Hawaiian Limu, Alaskan Sea Scallops, Native littleneck
clam and the Manila Clam.
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