Julie Qiu

Much like a Sommelier does for wine, oyster sommeliers provide additional services for raw bars and cultivate better oyster experiences for the restaurants and their customers.

Along the way, I developed an interest in sustainable seafood and saw a need for oyster education across the supply chain. I quickly realized that didn’t just want to be an end consumer; I wanted to help make the industry better using my expertise as a storyteller. My bivalve curiosity gradually became a calling, and the work of creating oyster appreciation tools, educational content, masterclasses, and social events that supports the emerging “oyster nerd” community were all manifestations of my newfound purpose. I also work for Australis Aquaculture, the world’s largest vertically-integrated barramundi far, as Marketing Director. The company’s mission is to enable home cooks and professional chefs to create a better world through their seafood choices. My job is to help our customers and end consumers discover, enjoy, and succeed in making meals with responsibly-raised seafood.

Just get out there and create it for yourself. (2) The best form of a complaint is to act deliberately in a way that results in a better outcome. (3) Empathy is more powerful than expertise.

In two years, I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses, which helped me see the opportunities in front of me much more clearly.

In order to be effective in both positions, I had to develop my skills in understanding and designing for other people’s needs and worldviews. Getting good at putting myself in my customer’s shoes, and then proactively developing solutions for their problems has been an ongoing practice. I think being truly customer-centric, even customer obsessed is a quality that is incredibly important to any restaurant & hospitality professional, marketer or business owner.

I keep tabs on what’s new and disruptive in consumer technology, consumer packaged goods, travel, transportation, beauty, and fashion.