Provenance still a selling point

Siri Elise Dybdal

 Su Cox, sales and communications director for the Scottish Salmon Company says being a Scottish salmon producer does make a difference in the marketplace: “Provenance is a key pillar for SSC with the business being based in and operated from Scotland. This helps to ensure our customers remain confident and secure in the knowledge they know where they are buying from.”

Nick Joy, co-founder of the renowned sustainable Scottish salmon producer Loch Duart, also believes being a Scottish producer is a selling point, which for him includes using Scottish suppliers and being part of the local communities where they operate:

 “We have been part of these communities for 30 years as well as employing a large number of people here,” he says. In addition the company sources products and services locally in the area and in Scotland as a whole, as much as possible - be it using local shops in the area, buying equipment and boats from Scotland etc. Joy thinks this helps retaining jobs in Scotland which is beneficial for the long term future.

 “For us, it is a very simple, logical thing – we wish for these local suppliers to still be there in twenty, thirty years’ time,” he says, “it’s a way of investing in a sustainable infrastructure for the future.

 “Reputation is about customers believing in what you say and do. You need to walk the walk and get it right, and this way they will believe it. Integrity is key. You need to be living it, and then explaining and communicating it,” Joy underlines.

According to Scott Landsburgh, Chief Executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO), the key factors that build the reputation of Scottish farmed salmon are provenance, the people and the environment of Scotland.