Japan has a growing yen for Tartan Salmon
A Japanese sushi company has substantially extended the use of Scottish Salmon Company fish following a successful trial.
Genki Sushi trialled SSC’s Tartan Salmon at 27 restaurants in Japan after being introduced to the fish farmer at a Showcasing Scotland event in October 2017 that was supported by Scottish Development International (SDI).
The use of Tartan Salmon has since been extended to 127 outlets run by Uobei, a subsidiary Genki Sushi.
Trade links
Scotland’s External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop celebrated the success of the arrangement while on a visit to Japan to strengthen trade and investment links.
Hyslop met executives including Genki chief executive Takashi Houshito and tasted Tartan Salmon sushi.
The minister said: “Japan is an important part of our international trade landscape and we are committed to supporting Japanese companies looking to connect with suppliers of our premium goods and services.
“Scotland’s reputation for quality extends across our entire food and drink sector. Along with salmon, our seafood fits well with the demands of discerning Japanese customers.”
Key market
SSC chief executive Craig Anderson said: “Japan and the Far East is a key market and demand for our salmon has helped drive a 25% increase in our exports over the past year.
“We expect this to increase as more consumers experience the great taste and provenance of our quality Tartan Salmon. The success of Genki Sushi’s showcase of Scottish salmon is testament to this.
“We take great pride in our Scottish heritage, and this is demonstrated through our commitment to bringing the finest quality Scottish salmon to worldwide markets.”
SSC was recently bought by Faroese salmon farmer Bakkafrost in a deal that values the Edinburgh-headquartered company at more than half a billion pounds.
