The future of Scottish food and drink

Scotland’s food and drink sector has so much to offer. We ask four industry leaders what’s next for this country’s iconic produce…

Rosie Jack, manager of Bowhouse in Fife

“Demand for locally sourced produce with exceptional quality continues to grow and consumers continue to be interested in the story behind the product. This was heightened during lockdown but we still see it continuing and are keen to ensure this focus on quality seasonal produce remains. I also feel that innovation from small producers continues to grow – and is really inspiring – both in terms of the products they’re developing and the ways they’re doing it. This environment of creativity linked to local food and drink is exactly what Bowhouse looks to support.”

Peter Dignan, co-founder of Lost Loch Spirits

“It’s hard to comment on the entirety of Scotland, but in the north east of Scotland there is huge investment of time, skills and capital in food and drink businesses. Opportunity One North East (ONE) has been spearheading this. ONE was started by Sir Ian Wood as an enterprise to get the north east ready for life after oil and they have played a big part in many food and drink start-ups over the last few years. Scotland has always had globally recognised food and drink offerings and with further investment this will only grow.”

Robert Thain, foodhall buying manager at House of Bruar

“The future of Scottish food and drink like a lot of things at the moment remains uncertain. We are yet to see the full implications of the Covid-19 pandemic and it will take some time to sort out all the implications of Brexit. One of the positives of both of these is that more people are interested to find out where there food comes from and are prepared to shop more locally for quality products. Therefore, we as a business and indeed as a country cannot afford to rely on things staying the same, we have to be sure we are promoting Scottish food and drink in all that we do.”

Iain Stirling, director of Arbikie Spirits

“Scotland should have a very bright future as we produce some of the world’s best food and drink, with our products in demand by discerning consumers across the world. Our whisky and gin are recognised as being world-leading and reflected in Scotland exporting over £14 billion of food and drink. The key to continued growth will be ensuring competitive trading access to the world’s key markets, our food and drink businesses continuing to innovate and collaborate, and the industry continuing to upskill their staff.”