Wave of optimism for Wick seaweed firm
5th July 2016
The first batches of seaweed have been harvested and processed by a new food and drink business in Wick.
New Wave Foods has invested £240,000 at its newly fitted out premises on the Wick Industrial Estate with support of £60,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). The company turns wild-harvested seaweeds into edible products.
A full-time harvesting and processing manager has already been recruited and two other new staff have been harvesting seaweed around the Caithness coast since April. Up to nine jobs will be created within three years.
The business also has potential to generate future export sales for the north's valuable food and drink sector.
Seaweed is a valued food ingredient in other parts of the world and the market for seaweed products is considered to have significant potential in the UK and Europe. Trends point towards healthy eating awareness and growing consumer sophistication.
Peter Elbourne from New Wave Foods said: "The clean cool waters off the north coast provides the ideal natural environment for high quality nutritious seaweed to grow. New Wave Foods is proud to have created a sustainable harvesting policy to enable us to utilise this resource, while ensuring we take care of the natural environment. Indeed, we are proud to have already gained organic accreditation for our seaweed."
"Our new processing facility in Wick has already been fully commissioned and is today busy processing locally harvested species of seaweed. With increasing demand for seaweed stretching across many sectors of the food industry, we look forward to growing the business from our Wick base substantially in the coming months and years."
HIE's assistance has been provided towards harvesting equipment and refitting the factory unit to the necessary standards.
Keith Muir, HIE’s Head of Business Growth for Caithness and Sutherland added:
“New Wave Foods will make a significant contribution to the prosperity of the Wick area by providing local jobs where few alternatives currently exist.
“I’m encouraged to see this company establishing a new, innovative industry in the area. This helps support the aims of the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership to build a strong and diverse economy.”
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Companies operating in Scotland's aquaculture supply chain industries are being encouraged to get involved in a major global networking opportunity. Aqua Nor is the world's premier event for the sector and a focal point for new customers and investors who are interested in Scotland.
The much-anticipated return of the funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain will not take place in December, as had been hoped. Contractor Balfour Beatty has substantially completed an extensive remediation programme to strengthen the 1.8km viaduct, however detailed inspections have shown that further work is required in some areas.
A sand mining company in Lochaber is set to double its production and increase annual turnover by more than £2.6m. Lochaline Quartz Sand Limited (LQS) has secured up to £230,000 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards the £855,000 costs of upgrading equipment on site.
The newly appointed head of business growth for Highlands and Island Enterprise (HIE) in Argyll and the Islands is to focus on expanding the agency's portfolio of business clients. Liam Orr, originally from Benderloch near Oban, took up the post in early December and leads HIE’s business growth team across an area covering Argyll and Bute, Arran and the Cumbraes.
An Aviemore-based adventure tourism operator has made significant progress in sustainability over the past two years by investing in e-bikes, e-vehicles and a carbon labelling system. Wilderness Scotland has reduced its scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 16 percent through its commitment to business decarbonisation.
The funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain looks set to be back in action towards the end of December or early in the new year. Contractor Balfour Beatty has confirmed that, weather permitting, its current programme of remediation works on the viaduct that supports the railway is due to finish in the next week to 10 days, after which teams working for the company plan to demobilise from the mountainside.
Fetcha Chocolates is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment. An Argyll based chocolate manufacturer is investing in new equipment to quadruple its capacity, increase turnover and create employment.
Is your young business ready for the next step?. The Young Business Capital Grant helps young businesses and social enterprises (under 5 years old) invest in projects that stimulate growth.
Shell-volution is an ambitious industry-wide initiative supported by the public sector and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) which has been awarded £4.4 million of investment from the UK Government as part of the Islands Growth Deal. This innovative, ground-breaking project is set to transform shellfish aquaculture, bringing sustainable growth and additional quality jobs in mussel farming, based on detailed investigations (mapping and monitoring) and creating a model for improving security and reliability of wild spat recruitment, through industry best practice.
A Nairn-based foundry, which has achieved international recognition for its larger-than-life bronze castings has invested in a £200,000 expansion to help it reach greater heights. An award of £60,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has helped Black Isle Bronze to improve infrastructure and purchase equipment to extend the range of projects the firm can undertake.
