Scottish Salmon Company launches Lochlander Salmon, scores BAP certification

The Scottish Salmon Company has introduced a new premium export brand to North America at this year’s Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Massachusetts.

On Sunday, 11 March, the company announced it will make its Lochlander Salmon available to premium restaurants and upmarket hotels in the United States. The brand focuses on Scottish “sea loch” provenance, the product’s sustainability certifications and the company’s focus on excellence in animal care.  

“We are delighted to unveil our new premium export brand to the North American market at SENA Boston.  We are passionate about our Scottish provenance and bringing the finest quality Scottish salmon to worldwide markets,” Scottish Salmon Company Chief Executive Craig Anderson said. “We are extremely proud of Lochlander Salmon, which offers our export customers a premium quality Scottish salmon, raised for approximately three years on a rich marine diet with zero GMOs, hormones, steroids, or chemical colorants in the feed.” 

Anderson said the brand was launched based off extensive research.  The company commissioned Ipsos Mori to conduct one-on-one interviews with leading chefs in New York City who confirmed that quality, freshness, and authenticity of food supply were of “paramount importance,” Anderson said.  

“The research highlighted that chefs wanted to know more about how their food is farmed, to be proud of the food they serve and to have a brand name which communicated Scottish quality,” the company said.

Alongside the new brand announcement, SSC recently announced that is it the first salmon producer in Scotland to be awarded Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certification for all its marine sites. One of the aquaculture industry’s most stringent standards, BAP covers the entire aquaculture production chain, from hatcheries to farms to processing plants. It is administered by the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) and is compliant with the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Global Social Compliance Program (GSCP), and the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI). 

The company said its goal is to eventually achieve full BAP accreditation across all its operations.

“Our focus is on developing a platform for sustainable business growth,” Anderson said. “With our BAP certification, we are able to further leverage the provenance and quality of our products to drive our international export strategy, particularly to key targets markets in North America and the Far East.”

Since 2011, SSC’s exports have more than doubled and currently account for more than half of the company’s sales.  The company’s positive results have mirrored those of Scotland’s salmon export market more broadly, which notched a 35 percent year-over-year increase in 2017, reaching GBP 600 million (USD 831 million, EUR 675.3 million) in value. The United States was the top global importer of Scottish salmon, with sales worth GBP 193 million (USD 267.3 million, EUR 217.3 million), followed by France at GBP 188 million (USD 260.4 million, EUR 211.6 million) and China at GBP 69 million (USD 95.6 million, EUR 77.7 million).

“With a clear focus on developing a platform for sustainable business growth, driving exports is a core priority for the company,” SSC said in a press release.

SSC is showcasing its Lochlander Salmon throughout the expo at booth #2253, a part of the Scottish Pavilion.