Alan Balfour (centre) with fellow founders Andy Bing (left) and Nick Joy (right) on the day they bought the business in 1999.

Founder parts ways with Loch Duart

One of the three founding members of Loch Duart, Alan Balfour, has decided to retire from the business after 16 years.

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According to a statement released by the company - which produces about 4000 tonnes of salmon a year - Alan has supported the transition to the new executive team now running the company and the Board was aware of his intentions once this had been successfully achieved.

Dr Andrew Barbour, Chairman, said: “Loch Duart would not be the business it is today without the influence, contribution and efforts of Alan Balfour – one of our founding directors. On behalf of the company and the Board, I would like to thank Alan for his contribution and wish him good health and much happiness for the future”.

Alan (centre) was Commercial Director of Loch Duart from 1999 to 2013 when management of the company’s accounts was handed on to Simon Maguire, Finance Director. He was also responsible for delivering many of the company’s accreditations, notably ISO14001 Environmental Management System, Global GAP and Investors In People. Alan fulfilled several roles within Scottish aquaculture – as Chairman of Scottish Quality Salmon, a member of the Code of Good Practice management group and as a Director of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation.

Alan has not confirmed any specific retirement plans but was seen recently supporting Chris Evans, a close friend and kindred spirit in high-performance motoring, in fundraising for Children in Need.

In the early years, Loch Duart produced around 1,800 tonnes per annum. Today, the company has expanded, acquiring sites in the Outer Hebrides in addition to the original Sutherland sites and produces around 4,000 tonnes per annum, employing 85 people. The company has become a successful exporter into Europe, the USA and the Far East and high profile chefs in leading restaurants worldwide serve Loch Duart salmon by name on their menus.