SSC unveils Lochlander brand in Boston

Lochlander Salmon has been unveiled at Seafood Expo North America, currently taking place in Boston.

The brand focuses on Scottish ‘sea loch’ provenance, sustainable farming and excellence in animal care. SSC recently announced that is it the first salmon producer in Scotland to be awarded Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certification for all its marine sites.        

SSC said the creation of the Lochlander Salmon brands is based on extensive research. The company commissioned Ipsos Mori to conduct one-to-one interviews with leading chefs in New York who confirmed that quality, freshness and authenticity of food supply were of paramount importance.  

The research highlighted that chefs wanted to know more about how their food is farmed, to be proud of the food they serve and to have a brand name which communicated Scottish quality.  

SSC chief executive Craig Anderson said: “We are extremely proud of Lochlander Salmon, which offers our export customers a premium quality Scottish salmon, raised for approximately three years on a rich marine diet with zero GMOs, hormones, steroids or chemical colourants in the feed.” 

The company has created a new website, lochlander.com, to support the brand, and even rebranded its farm technicians as “Salmon Masters”.

The site states: “Lochlander Salmon are nurtured by our dedicated Scottish Salmon Masters, unrivalled in their passion for fish care.

“As a proud community of over 500 Scottish salmon farmers, with over 90% of our Salmon Masters living locally along the shores of our sea lochs, we are devoted to raising our salmon and safeguarding our home environment.”

Scottish salmon exports grew by 35% last year to £600 million. The US remains the largest market with sales worth £193m, followed by France (£188m) and China (£69m).

Since 2011, SSC’s exports have more than doubled and currently accounts for more than half of sales. Driving exports is a core priority for SSC, which has developed a strategy underpinned by Scottish provenance.

Other SSC brands are Native Hebridean Salmon, which it says represents “a pure ancestral bloodline of Scottish island salmon stretching back millennia”, Superior Grade salmon and fish raised with a higher marine content in their diet and a lower stocking density to meet the French Label Rouge criteria.