Loch Duart celebrates food and drink awards victory
Loch Duart was celebrating last night after its salmon won the Foodservice Product of the Year prize at the prestigious Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2017.
The company’s salmon product beat the Scottish Salmon Company’s Native Hebridean Salmon, Salar Smokehouse’s Flaky Smoked Salmon and Taste of Arran’s Traditional Ice Cream to land the prize.
A record number of 820 guests attended Scotland’s food and drink ‘Oscars’ in Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre. The annual awards, hosted by chef and TV personality Simon Rimmer, are organised by Scotland Food & Drink and run in partnership with the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), with Asda as headline sponsor.
Enterprising businesses
James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Congratulations to all winners. With the new food and drink strategy, Ambition 203, we are aiming to double the industry’s worth to the value of £30 billion by 2030, so it was fantastic to see new start-ups as well as established businesses come out on top. The industry is constantly growing, but there is always room for young pioneers, innovative products and enterprising businesses, and it’s this that will help us achieve Ambition 2030.
“Scotland is home to some of the most innovative producers and these awards give us the chance to celebrate this. Thanks to all those who entered this year, and I hope to see you back there next year.”
Huge achievement
Keith Brooke, chairman of RHASS, said: “Congratulations to the winners – it is a huge achievement and one to relish as getting to this stage is no doubt the result of significant hard work and skill particularly when you see the standard of the companies shortlisted this year.”
Loch Fyne Oysters was also a winner last night, its Kinglas Fillet scooping the Fish & Seafood prize, while Mara Seaweed won the Healthy Choice prize for its Furikake product. Euan Beaton, of MacDuff Shellfish Scotland, was named Entrepreneur of the Year.
The 2017 awards received 272 entries across all categories, a record number on previous years. Category sponsorship was welcomed from a range of influential businesses including Sodexo, Johnston Carmichael, The Grocer, CalMac, Quality Meat Scotland and Heriot Watt University.
Loch Duart has already tasted awards success this year, winning the Food and Drink Company of the Year at Scottish Business Insider’s Made in Scotland Awards last month.
For the full list of winners visit www.foodanddrink.scot
