Salmon that is kiln-roasted by a family-run smokery in Argyll and Bute has proved so popular with Waitrose shoppers that the company is now supplying three of the company’s Scottish stores.
Date:
Mon, 05 Dec 2011
Source:
Waitrose
The Argyll Smokery – run by partners Allan McDougall and Karen Baxter – first won a contract to supply Waitrose’s Newton Mearns store where its handcrafted, kiln-roasted smoked salmon has been flying off the shelves.
Now, the couple have won a contract to supply Waitrose’s two Edinburgh stores. The contract marks the end of a very successful first year in business for the Argyll Smokery which this month won a Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) New Business Start Up Award, hot on the heels of three 2-Star Gold awards in the UK-wide Great Taste Awards.
The awards are welcome recognition for the couple, who set up in their thriving smokery exactly a year ago. They both have years of experience in the industry, having met at Loch Fyne Oysters where they both worked for many years before finally striking out on their own.
Sourcing the finest salmon farmed in sea lochs on the west coast of Scotland, Karen and Allan specialise in creating small, handcrafted batches of their smoked foods which include Argyll Smoked Salmon, Hot Kiln Roasted Smoked Salmon; smoked trout, mussels, prawns and scallops; and homemade fish pates.
The couple manage all aspects of the Dunoon-based business themselves. In a typical day they will hot smoke the fish, slice and pack it, despatch, deliver and market their products.
Karen and Allan won their original contract to supply Waitrose through a Scotland Food & Drink Meet the Buyer event where producers pitch to buyers in a Dragons’ Den-style format.
Oliver O’Mara of the local and regional sourcing team for Waitrose explained that the supermarket is always interested in discovering new producers with delicious products.
He said: "The Argyll Smokery is the kind of supplier we love to work - with handcrafted and produced with passion, using the finest natural ingredients - and most importantly, their smoked fish is wonderfully succulent and delicious."
Waitrose is the only supermarket that The Argyll Smokery works with although the company supplies many quality hotels, delicatessens, farm shops and dedicated foodies with home delivery mail order.
Allan said that the company is trying to build the business and hope that as Waitrose opens more stores in Scotland, it will grow with them.
He added: "We enjoy working with Waitrose because it’s like dealing with a small store even though they’re a big company. We’re on first name terms with all the buying team.
"We believe that we’re adding value to their business by supplying a distinctive, handcrafted product and they’re adding value to ours with their expertise and advice."
Waitrose already works with three other suppliers from Argyll & Bute which come under the Food from Argyll umbrella body: Inverawe, Henshelwoods and Gigha Halibut.
Gigha Halibut supplies Waitrose exclusively among UK supermarkets and is now stocked in 70 branches across the UK.
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