Farming trio up for export awards

Both Loch Duart and Cooke have been made the shortlist for the Scottish export team of the year, while the former has also secured a place on the list for large exporter of the year. Wester Ross is in the running for small exporter of the year, while another company with strong salmon connections – the Dumfries-based St James Smokehouse – is in the mix for the most entrepreneurial exporter of the year prize.

Alban Denton, MD of Loch Duart, told Fish Farming Expert that he is thrilled with the double nomination.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to have been nominated relatively regularly for export awards in the past, but it’s always exciting – it’s not only lovely for our customers but also for all those involved in the business, particularly all our talented linguists and salespeople,” he said.

“The company exports between two thirds and three quarters of its salmon – we sell a super-premium product and exports are a critical, important and growing element of our business. We’re keen to represented throughout the world,” he added.

The company’s two largest export markets are the US and France – the latter receiving Loch Duart’s Label Rouge-certified fish – but Denton is keen to emphasise the importance of other “not insignificant" markets, such as "the rest of Europe, the Middle and Far East," too.

Meanwhile Marie McAleese, Cooke’s Business Development Manager, told Fish Farming Expert: “We are very happy – most of our produce is exported and this is the first time Cooke Aquaculture Scotland has been nominated for one of these awards.”

She is also keen to emphasise the number of people who are involved in the export process.

“It is a tribute to everyone's hard work: not just the sales team, who negotiate deals in many different countries, but also our logistics team – our farms are in remote locations in Shetland and Orkney and it’s hugely impressive that salmon harvested off Westray in the north of Orkney, for example, can arrive fresh and on time in markets in Boston, Taipei and China within three days of being slaughtered,” she adds.

Stiff competition

To reach the shortlists, nominees had to do battle with 125 companies, representing £805m in turnover and £470m of exports from Scotland.

The shortlists have been drawn up for seven categories and the judges’ final decision will be made known at an awards ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, in Glasgow, on 22 March. Each of the seven category winners will then go head-to-head for the top prize – Scotland’s exporter of the year.

In an earlier statement Alison McGregor, CEO of HSBC Scotland, one of the sponsors the event, said: “This record number of nominations reflects the flourishing exporting landscape in Scotland, where we are seeing businesses of all sizes benefitting from the opportunities of international trade. We look forward to celebrating these nominations in what is going to be a fantastic evening.”