Scotherbs is a major grower and supplier of fresh culinary herbs to supermarkets, wholesalers, hotels, restaurants and the discerning home cook.
The company is located in the fertile Carse of Gowrie between Perth and Dundee and the local microclimate enables it to grow quality crops.
Under managing director Robert Wilson's leadership, the company is fully focused on its customers’ requirements. Scotherbs has pioneered new growing techniques in Scotland for herb crops. Wilson says: "People tend to think of herbs as one crop but of course herbs are in reality not one crop but a variety of crops requiring very different growing specifications and in the Scottish climate it's a real challenge to extend the season."
So how has the company reached this point? Back in 1986 there was essentially one option for buying herbs - dried. Along with a few other cooking culprits it was one of these items, which would linger around kitchens and in the backs of cupboards for years. It was then that Wilson's wife Sylvia complained that she could not get fresh herbs for cooking and he decided to take the big step of selling his dairy cows and moving into the herb world. As the son of a butcher who had diversified into dairy it was an entrepreneurial step, one he has not regretted - but he believes it would be very difficult to do the same today, as the regulations in every aspect of the business would mitigate against it.
Wilson's daughter Fiona Lamotte runs the operational end of Scotherbs and between them they have developed the company into Scotland's largest independent producer of fresh herbs. The company has a staff of 58 and despite the growth over the years Wilson maintains this is still very much a niche market vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy.
Supermarkets account for 40 per cent of Scotherbs sales but they came late to Scotherbs sales pitch. Initially Wilson built up his trade and his loyal customers knowledge of using herbs by weekly visits to enthusiastic restaurant chefs, wholesalers and retail outlets throughout central Scotland. The company thinks it is just as important today to assist customers to experiment with their product.
Lamotte believes that in the past ten years people have become much more open to trying herb products but there is still potential to increase sales as many people still do not know how to use herbs or are afraid to try. This is despite possibly the best unofficial countrywide marketing campaign any product has ever had with television chefs seeing so much potential in the product.
She commented that the use of herbs has made a big difference in the quality of food - giving chefs and home cooks access to a fresh herb product has allowed them to experiment and cultivate new tastes. "My dad came along when chefs were crying out for the right tools to innovate in the marketplace but now 17 years on the primary growth is with home cooks who initially had their interest ignited by celebrity chefs," she says.
With the assistance of Scottish Enterprise, Tayside, Scotherbs has launched new value added fresh herb products. These include 12 varieties of fresh herb mustards and also pesto, salsas, sauces and vinaigrettes. It has already attracted business from retail outlets, caterers and food processors and supermarkets are showing an interest.
This latest enterprise is a natural progression for the company from the fresh herb product and salad leaf for which they have become well-known producers. Both professional chefs and home chefs share a need to have nutritious pre-prepared fresh additives in a fast changing time precious world.
Scotherbs sells the mustards as a "cool" wholegrain range and a "hot" smooth range and although they are ideal on the side of the plate the company wants to encourage people to think of them as exciting additions to the cooking pot.
Lamotte believes Scotherbs direction in the future is probably being shaped now by the health concerns about excessive salt intake. "Herbs are the ideal fresh additive, as you can get a variety of delicious flavours which will cater for diverse culinary tastes without the use of salt," she says. "Herbs can also help people cut the use of salt in their food down to more healthy levels.”
Wilson feels that herbs are more heavily regulated than other vegetable crops although people probably eat fewer herbs than many of the other vegetable products, but he has no issues with this at all. "It is very much in tune with our own thinking about chemical usage and we are heavily into bio-controls," he says.
Scotherbs continues to grow herbs from April to October at Waterybutts Farm and other sites in the Carse of Gowrie.
It also imports from various fully audited growers abroad in the winter months. Last year Wilson decided to take another big step to future growth and set up another company called Ensalade de Canarias. This company now grows some of the winter product salad leaf and herbs in Tenerife. Crops are cut in the early morning and flown out of the island that same morning direct to Scotland.
No comments yet