DOMAVery high-end oysters, raised in Dundrum Bay.
Irish terroir, French savoir-faire.
DOMA is the Groupe Boutrais oyster farm in Northern Ireland. Our oysters are sold under the Ostra Regal brand.
One speciality: the exceptional oyster.
Set in Dundrum Bay, DOMA NI is devoted to raising very high-end oysters. They arrive with us at around 30 g and grow in the bay until they reach the quality required for Ostra Regal.
The farm is part of Groupe Boutrais, a Breton oyster group. Each company in the group has its own craft, from spat to sale.
- NameDOMA NI, Dundrum Oyster and Mussel Aquaculture
- LocationDundrum Bay, Northern Ireland
- GroupGroupe Boutrais, Brittany
- BrandOstra Regal
- ManagementCéline Gaillot and Michaël Charrit, managing partners
In the bay, nature sets the pace.
One vast Charente claire
Dundrum Bay works like one very large claire, the shallow fattening ponds of the Charente coast. On the sandbanks where our trestles stand, the water is never more than three metres deep. It mixes with the fresh water running down from the Mournes, giving oysters that are very lightly salted and remarkably mild.
Tonn Rudhraighe
Irish tradition tells of three great waves, whose roar foretold the country's gravest hours. One of them, Tonn Rudhraighe, the wave of Rudhraighe, breaks here, in Dundrum Bay. It is in the shelter of this legendary bay that our oysters take on their character.
The rhythm of the river
The sand shifts with the river currents. We move our trestles to keep pace with the ground, and we lift and clean them: less silt, more oxygen for the oysters. We don't fight the elements; we adapt to them.
A merroir, a craft
“Pousse en conche” oysters, the big sister of the “pousse en claire”. Charente know-how grown on Irish ground, serving a merroir unique in Northern Ireland.
Caring for the water
For us, oyster farming is more than production. Oysters filter the water and protect biodiversity. We work with AFBI and The Rivers Trust on protecting local rivers and on run-off into the bay.
Map made with Google My Maps · Imagery and map data © Google
The White Gold of Dundrum Bay
An emulsion of oyster liver, smooth, light and generous. A gentle umami sweetness that melts in the mouth, lifted by a hint of salt. The crunch of a very fine, sweet muscle gives the whole some bite, on an astringent finish. With its natural and very particular recipe, Dundrum Bay offers a true ode to flavour.
This takes time. Our oysters are fattened and finished in the bay for one to one and a half years. Lots leaving the bay average around 100 g. Their destination: Ostra Regal Sélection Or.
| Weight | Age | Arrival in the bay | Weight on arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| 93 g | 53 months | December 2023 | 25 g |
| 85 g | 51 months | January 2024 | 35 g |
Ostra Regal, the oyster of great tables
Ostra Regal is the brand of La Famille Boutrais. Its oysters spend at least eight months as “pousse en conche” in two of the group's parks: Bannow Bay, in Ireland, and Dundrum Bay, here with us. The whole rearing takes about four years.
- Ostra RegalThe house signature, in sizes no. 2, 3 and 4.
- Ostra Regal Sélection OrThe finest pieces, selected for exceptional tables. This is where Dundrum's oysters are headed.
The tides set our hours.
We work when the sea goes out: at dawn, at dusk, sometimes in the middle of the night under the moon. Hard, demanding work, bag after bag, trestle after trestle. The reward is the quality of the oyster, and a view few people ever see.
Ashore, the shed
Back from the bay, everything goes through the shed. Here we split the oysters when needed, and sort lots to remove dead oysters when mortality is too high. This is also where quality checks take place.
Finally, the shed prepares the export: the oysters leave in big bags for BHP, in Cancale, which handles grading, sizing and packing before they are shipped worldwide to La Famille Boutrais's customers.
From spat to table, five stages within the group.
DOMA steps in when the oyster gains its final quality. Before and after, other Groupe Boutrais companies take over.
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Stage 1
Hatchery
SpatThe spat is bought from a hatchery.
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Stage 2
SOFI
Newport, IrelandSofi Shellfish Ltd grows the spat to half-grown size, in floating bags.
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Stage 3
DOMA NI
Dundrum BayWe buy the oysters at around 30 g, then fatten and finish them in Dundrum Bay.
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Stage 4
BHP
Cancale, BrittanyBretagne Huîtres Production handles purification and packing.
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Stage 5
La Famille Boutrais
Ostra RegalThe group's sales arm buys the oysters and sells them under the Ostra Regal brand.
Two children of La Tremblade, two oyster-farming families.
Céline Gaillot
Born in La Tremblade, Céline is also the third generation of an oyster-farming family. She learned the trade as a little girl, at her father's side. As a child she was already drilling holes in oyster shells to thread them onto wire: these collectors were used to catch baby oysters. She went out with the tides back when boats still towed a pinasse, burned mussels at Ronce and travelled as far as Brittany to work the tides. As a teenager she spent the holidays weighing and strapping parcels. Then came packing, sorting, and the grading machine at Papin-Poget, in La Tremblade. She went on to work on the packing line of a house specialising in pousse en claire and high-end oysters. Still in La Tremblade, at Geay, she moved on to sorting, grading and packing pousses en claire and super spéciales, strapping and labelling, right down to taking the parcels to the La Tremblade coach station herself. Today she runs the farm with Michaël.
Michaël Charrit
Also from La Tremblade, Michaël is the third generation of an oyster-farming family. He started in Marennes, at Pontac, during the shipping season. He then moved to Bourcefranc, to Auguste Gérard (Lazor), on La Route de Daire: traditional rearing combined with mechanical handling, where he learned the trade in often harsh weather. Back in La Tremblade, at Geay, he became head of shipping and oyster stock management. He earned his boat licence and the professional agricultural and maritime certificate that allows you to hold oyster parks and run your own oyster shed.
His ambition has always been the same: to produce only very high-end oysters, pousse en claire or better. It was Pascal Boutrais, founder of Groupe Boutrais, who gave him that chance. He trusted him, entrusted him with the Dundrum Bay site and made him a managing partner.
Force et Courage
Our motto sums up the team spirit: being ready to face, together, the physical and mental demands of the job in order to produce exceptional oysters.
Hours that are never fixed
Our days follow the tide, which shifts by 30 to 60 minutes every day. We can start as early as 4 am and, on afternoon tides, finish as late as 8 pm: sometimes before dawn, sometimes at night, always to the rhythm of the sea and never at a fixed time.
A job that is hard on body and mind
Working at night, in the cold and rain, carrying heavy loads, wears down the body as much as the mind. Each bag holds 130 oysters: it weighs 3 to 4 kg on arrival, when the oysters average 25 to 30 g, and up to 15 kg when they reach 100 to 120 g. The bags are shaken, then rolled when they become too heavy.
Team spirit
In these conditions, attitude counts as much as strength. We care about everyone's mental health and a good atmosphere: mutual respect and respect for the equipment are non-negotiable, and everyone is encouraged to take initiative to improve the work.
The team
Training and certification
The team is trained and certified by approved bodies in Northern Ireland:
- First aid at workFAA Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF)
- Agricultural tractor and flatbed trailerNew Holland Agricultural Tractor & Flat Bed Trailer
- Forklift operator, 2.35 t diesel counterbalance truckCaterpillar C/B Diesel 2350 kg FLT · HSE L117
Join Team DOMA
We recruit oyster farmers regularly to strengthen the team. What we ask:
- Live near Dundrum: the tides mean very early starts and late finishes.
- Have a car, to get to work at any tide time.
- Be ready for physical, outdoor work in all weathers, with hours that change every day.
- Share the Team DOMA spirit: strength, courage and team spirit.
To apply, write to us: teamprod.doma@gmail.com
Order Dundrum oysters
Oysters raised in Dundrum are sold by La Famille Boutrais, through the Ostra Regal online shop. They are delivered to your door, in a wooden basket, on the day of your choice.
Sélection Or
The finest pieces, the destination of our Dundrum oysters.
Sizes no. 2 and 3 · by 12, 24 or 48
Ostra Regal
The house signature, raised in Ireland and finished in a conche.
Sizes no. 2, 3 and 4 · by 12, 24 or 48
Amulette
A small, round, fleshy oyster for aperitifs. Grown by SOFI, fattened and finished in Dundrum.
By 6, 12, 24 or 48
Delivery to mainland France (excluding Corsica). Prices depend on your postcode, delivery included. Trade and group orders: see the contact section.
Get in touch
The DOMA farm
For any question about the farm, a visit or the press.
- Address14A Belfast Road
Dundrum BT33 0NG
Northern Ireland - Emaildomani.dundrum@gmail.com
- WhatsApp+44 7753 232211
- Instagram@domani.dundrum
Trade and orders
Chefs, distributors and buyers: contact La Famille Boutrais, which sells Ostra Regal oysters on behalf of the group.
- Phone+33 2 99 89 48 16
- Onlineostraregal.com, contact page