THE Scottish food and drink industry has gone from strength to strength and there are no signs of it slowing down.
This time last year, it was announced that Scottish food export figures weren’t just good but record-breaking, with figures surpassing the £1.1billion mark.
It’s also been suggested that the industry could create as many as 14,000 additional jobs by 2020 on top of the 360,000 currently employed in the sector.
With such a rich history, combined with its position as home to so many prominent, internationally renowned food brands, Scotland has almost become a food brand in its own right.
Whilst this boom in the Scottish food and drink industry is down to a number of factors including growing interest from Asia – and China in particular – there is one important element that currently resonates across the globe: provenance.
From a commercial perspective, provenance is that key differentiator.
And when it comes to provenance, John Ross Jr is fortunate in that it has many strings to its bow.
We’re one of the last remaining commercial smokehouses to use traditional kilns and time-honoured methods to smoke our salmon.
In fact, when it comes down to history our kilns date back to 1857 and have even been listed by Historic Scotland.
We have held the Royal Warrant for over 25 years, supplying the Royal Network of Kitchens, and we have always been a family run business since the day we first opened our doors.
The good news for Scotland and those looking to source their products from the country is that there are many producers and manufacturers located in and around the region that have a rich and authentic background; who, like us, work tirelessly to not only create the best products possible but also promote everything that is good about Scotland.
And it’s this message that goes a long way overseas.
Our own exporting success is testament to this, having won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2016 earlier this year following continued growth in international sales over the last six years and having developed an export market that now covers over 30 countries.
For many international audiences looking to source high-quality products with provenance, being a Scottish food producer is a mark of excellence, which, if marketed properly, can not only get your foot in the door of countless territories across the globe but also help take your business to the next level.
Exporting can, for many, be a daunting task. However with so much support from organisations such as the UKTI, it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming undertaking.
From planning the logistics required to deliver to multiple countries through to the importance of understanding the cultural values of the country you’re looking to export to, there is so much help at hand.
My advice, having overseen our export strategy grow from just an idea to a rapidly growing international programme, is to embrace the opportunity that international sales represents, do your research and work hard to establish a strong reputation overseas.
But most importantly of all is to not forget that being a Scottish food producer now, more than ever before, not only speaks volumes but is also something to be hugely proud of.