A fish processing industry leader involved in one of the biggest corporate transactions in Scotland in recent years won an award last night at an annual food and drink awards event.
Euan Beaton, president of MacDuff Shellfish, hoisted the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2017 in Edinburgh last night.
Mr Beaton led the £98.4million acquisition of family-owned Macduff by Clearwater Seafoods in October 2015.
Other winners from across the north of Scotland included Loch Ness Spirits, which won in the distilling category for its gin. Loch Duart’s salmon was recognised as food service product of the year. Mackie’s at Taypack, the ice cream firm’s potato crisps venture, was recognised as the export business of the year.
There were 25 winners and a record number of 820 guests at the event at the Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre last night.
James Whithers, chief executive of industry body Scotland Food and Drink, said: “Congratulations to all winners. With the new food and drink strategy, ‘Ambition 2030’, we are aiming to double the industry’s worth to the calue of £30billion by 2030, so it was fantastic to see new start-ups as well as established businesses come out on top.
“The industry is constantly growing, but there is always room for young pioneers, innovative products and enterprising businesses, and it’s this that will help us achieve Ambition 2030.”
Keith Brooke, chairman of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS), said: “Congratulations to the winners – it is a huge achievement and one to relish as getting to this stage is no doubt the result of significant hard work and skill particularly when you see the standard of the companies shortlisted this year.”
The annual awards are organised by Scotland Food & Drink and run in partnership with RHASS.