Scottish fish businesses Campbells & Co Smokehouse, Loch Fyne Oysters, and Ritchie’s of Rothesay have been named as finalists in the Fish & Seafood category of the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2019.
Salar Smokehouse is a finalist in the Artisanal Product category, and The Scottish Salmon Company, Scottish Sea Farms and Loch Fyne Oysters also made the final of the Export Business of the Year category. In the Business of the Year category, the fish industry is represented by The Scottish Salmon Company.
James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Every year the Excellence Awards attracts an incredibly diverse range of entrants, all of which are of a very high quality. This year we’ve had a record number of entries and the standard has never been higher.”
New focus
Organised by Scotland Food & Drink, in partnership with The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) and with Asda as a headline sponsor, the awards have been restructured for 2019 and focus on the standout products driving value and consumer choice in the market.
Kevin McBride, vice president for Scotland at Asda, said: “At Asda, we recognise the importance of Scottish sourcing for our customers and our suppliers, and the Awards are an opportunity to showcase the talented individuals and businesses who are driving this national success story.”
The awards received a record 320 entries across all categories, a 20% increase from 2018, most notably in distilling which increased from 18 in 2018 to 41 this year.
Winners from all 19 categories will be announced at the awards ceremony on 23 May at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh.
