Wester Ross celebrates second awards win
Independent salmon farmer Wester Ross Fisheries is celebrating its second trophy in the space of eight days after picking up the Healthier Food and Drink accolade at the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink (HIFAD) Awards in Inverness on Friday.
The week before that Wester Ross was named Exporter of the Year at the 2018 Highland Business Awards, also in Inverness, after increasing overseas sales from 40% to 75% of its business in a three-year period. During that time £951,309 has been secured from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise yo upgrade and expand the company’s Ardmair and Ardessie sites.
A spokesperson for the company, which grows around 2,000 tonnes of salmon annually, said: “The Wester Ross team is delighted, and looking forward to the challenges in the upcoming years as they keep on striving to produce the best all-natural sustainable Scottish salmon.”
Loch Fyne double
Wester Ross, which also made the shortlist of the Best Marketing Campaign award, was one of several aquaculture successes at the HIFAD Awards ceremony, held at the Kingsmills Hotel.
Loch Fyne Oysters won the Export Award for established exporters, and also clinched the Sustainability Award. The Scottish Salmon Company was shortlisted for both awards.
Isle of Barra Oysters was given the New Product Award, making it an especially successful week for the young company, which also saw its Pacific oysters judged as Scotland’s best at the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers’ annual conference in Oban the night before.
New Wave Foods, which gathers seaweed for food products and is based in Alness, Ross-shire, won the Innovation Award.
