Trout from Scotland was given the Royal stamp of approval when the £3.1million expansion of the RR Spink & Sons facility in Arbroath was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal. She was shown around the facility by Alastair Salvesen, chairman of parent company Dawnfresh Seafoods.
The company, established in 1973, is a major processor of seafood in the United Kingdom and the largest producer of trout in Britain. It sources fish farmed on sites in Argyll to pack top-quality of products for leading retailers including M&S and Sainsbury’s.
The 170-person team in Arbroath prepares all products by hand – from curing and smoking to slicing and finishing – producing around 170,000 packets per week. Dawnfresh employs over 30 aquaculture staff to farm fish, which is sent for post-harvest processing to Arbroath and Uddingston, Lanarkshire, as well as being exported abroad as whole fish.
During her tour, Princess Anne witnessed how products were made – from the arrival of the ingredients to the finished product being dispatched to supermarkets and other outlets across the UK.
Commenting on the visit, Stewart Hawthorn, farming director, said: “High quality seafood is something for which Scotland is famous and our new unit processes fish grown at our sites in Argyll, some of which will end up on the plates of Her Majesty The Queen and her guests. I am very proud that Dawnfresh gets to showcase its product around the world as well as to senior members of the Royal Family.”
