Walter “WM” Smith started this seafood processing business in 1955. Though it wouldn’t take the name Smith & Sons Seafood until the late 1970s, everyone in McIntosh County knew the business. It has evolved from a bait shrimp business, to brokerage, to processing and packing, and a little bit of everything else. WM’s son John, who now runs the business says: “To this day, everywhere I go, my daddy’s friends will tell me stories about him like when he was drafted right out of high school to play baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He chose not to do it. He chose to stay with his family. He chose to stay in the shrimp business.” It has all paid off, as Smith & Sons are now the largest processors of domestic shrimp on the East Coast.
I’m a huge fan of Wild Georgia Shrimp and McIntosh County is the heart of this vanishing way of life. It’s great to know that businesses like Smith & Sons are doing all they can to promote and distribute this coastal delicacy.
I will tell you one thing…Georgia wild shrimp can’t be beat for taste. Our peaches are fine, our peanuts fantastic, our pecans are grown to please, and our shrimp is to be celebrated. Brian thanks for your efforts to educate us. You deserve a medal of appreciation.
Thanks for all your insightful comments, Jessie, and for all your kind words of encouragement. Hope you’re doing well.