Joe Van Den Bremt
PEI’s Original Farmer of the Sea
The world famous PEI mussel is a staple on kitchen tables and restaurant menus across the globe.
A massive part of identity on Prince Edward Island, our mussel industry is responsible for producing $45 million in exports annually and employing approximately 1,500 people. It wouldn’t be what it is today without the vision and persistence of one man, the pioneer of mussel farming on PEI, Joe Van Den Bremt.
An Islander by choice, Joe Van Den Bremt came to Canada from Belgium in 1954. He believed immigrants had so much to offer their adopted country and was determined to find ways to contribute to his new community. He was already working as a tobacco farmer when he decided to investigate mussel cultivation in Island waters. Mussels were a popular dish in Europe but Islanders believed they were “garbage that was to be scraped off the boat,” used for fertilizer but certainly not fit to be eaten!
Despite the skepticism and taunting from local fishermen, Joe began experimenting. He wasn’t immediately successful. He first attempted to farm the mussels by building wooden rafts. However, they were eaten by shipworms and then destroyed by metre-thick ice, something that was not an issue in the European areas where mussels were farmed.
Joe established mussel farms in Boughton and Cardigan Rivers and worked with the provincial government to convince them of the tremendous potential of the mussel industry on PEI.
From the very beginning, quality was of the utmost importance to Joe. He was determined to produce the world’s best mussels, a legacy that remains today. He envisioned an industry that was not only renowned for excellence, but also something that could involve everyone in the community, creating jobs and supporting Islanders for generations to come.
Joe established mussel farms in Boughton and Cardigan Rivers and worked with the provincial government to convince them of the tremendous potential of the mussel industry on PEI.
From the very beginning, quality was of the utmost importance to Joe. He was determined to produce the world’s best mussels, a legacy that remains today. He envisioned an industry that was not only renowned for excellence, but also something that could involve everyone in the community, creating jobs and supporting Islanders for generations to come.
Joe had a vision, and worked tirelessly to see it come true. For the thousands of people who work in the industry and the millions of people who enjoy PEI mussels, we have Joe to thank.
Joe passed away in September 2021, but his legacy will last forever. A pioneer, visionary, innovator. We remember Joe Van Den Bremt, the original farmer of the sea.
Joe passed away in September 2021, but his legacy will last forever. A pioneer, visionary, innovator. We remember Joe Van Den Bremt, the original farmer of the sea.
Interesting Facts:
Joe was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal in 2002 for his exceptional work in both the tobacco and mussels industries on PEI.
The first dollar Joe ever received in the mussel industry remains in his wife Agnes’ scrapbook pages.
Joe and Agnes sold their first five pounds of Island-grown mussels to the Dundee Arms in Charlottetown for 40 cents a pound.
Interesting Facts:
Joe was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal in 2002 for his exceptional work in both the tobacco and mussels industries on PEI.
The first dollar Joe ever received in the mussel industry remains in his wife Agnes’ scrapbook pages.
Joe and Agnes sold their first five pounds of Island-grown mussels to the Dundee Arms in Charlottetown for 40 cents a pound.