Three successful years of the North Highland Initiative

Only three years in existence and yet the effects of the North Highland Initiative, inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales, have been remarkable.

The Initiative, intended to help develop the economies of the North Highlands - Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire – has already resulted in hundreds of farmers, food producers and hoteliers benefiting from increased premiums for their products and services.

In addition, thousands of consumers and visitors are being encouraged to visit the North Highlands and purchase products coming from this unspoilt land. Once discovered, people are enthralled both by the area and the provenance of its exceptional products, while at the same time being reassured they are contributing to a sustainable and profitable future for the area’s farmers, hoteliers, fishermen and food producers.

Two companies were initially set up to advance the Initiative, North Highland Products and North Highlands Tourism, and a group dedicated to the protection of the area’s built environment.

North Highland Products, concerned with the sale of quality sustainable food, drink and other products from within a hundred miles of the Castle of Mey, now has a turnover of almost £9m under its brand name of Mey Selections. Prize-winning beef, lamb, mutton, geese, seafood and cheese, as well as bakery products, whisky, honey, preserves and tweeds are part of the range of this growing high-profile brand.

You can even find the brand name on some of the ready meals in Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range in your local supermarket where Mey Selections beef is used as the signature ingredient. As a result, over £500,000 has already been raised in additional premiums for its 400 farmers and fine producers who supplied 8,000 cattle and 48,000 lambs, and a range of over a dozen food products in 2007.

At the end of 2007 North Highland Products was given the Excellence Award in the Highlands and Islands annual food and drinks awards competition. And greater things may be in store for 2008 as Mey Selections is shortlisted in several categories for the Scotland Food and Drink Awards.

Mark MacKay, who farms with his father at Rattar Mains and Greenvale in Caithness, is one of these local North Highlands farmers and is full of praise for the Mey Selections scheme.

In his words, “I think it an excellent initiative, a ‘win-win’ for all concerned. For over a hundred years my father, and his father before him, has worked this land in the time-honoured way and we are proud of our traditional farming methods. Now we can bring our animals to an enlarged market with the help of Mey Selections who then pay us that extra bit of premium for our cattle.”“Also, what I think is really great, is that there is now a wider public out there who can purchase our products in Sainsbury’s stores throughout the UK and can enjoy its unique quality.”

Another Mey Selections producer is Stewart McConnach, a leading Caithness baker. Stewart, who is never far from a baker’s oven, explained, “I was born in the Orkney Islands and learnt much of my baking craft from my father. Now our family recipes, resulting in natural, preservative-free products, such as my traditional all-butter Mey Selections Scottish shortbread, can be enjoyed by the folk down south and in London… and I benefit from that extra demand.”

Similarly, North Highlands Tourism has been a success.

Murray Lamont is proprietor of the Mackays Hotel, located in Wick in the beautiful area of Caithness. He is also Chairman for North Highlands Tourism, the business-led organisation with over 150 members ranging from accommodation providers, visitor attractions to other various suppliers in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross-shire.

Murray explained that North Highlands Tourism works towards increasing the number of visitors to the region and extending, through a number of marketing initiatives, the tourism season beyond the traditional period.

“We are all passionate about the area in which we, our families and friends live and work and the Initiative has given us a framework to allow us to drive tourism forward.”

“We want the North Highlands to have thriving communities and we offer visitors a range of experiences from culture, heritage, outdoor pursuits and pure relaxation in a land with beautifully dramatic scenery and a welcoming experience,” he added.

Mackays Hotel, which has a long held reputation for its high standard of award winning service and fine food, was established in 1833 and is on the shortest street in the world according to The Guinness Book of Records.

Murray explains, “We want our guests to have the best food and wine in a relaxing environment within our hotel and a strong part of this offering is the range of Mey Selection products which we serve in our No.1 Bistro restaurant. This range offers our guests what they want and what they have come to expect of us - high quality local products.”

Posted 16th May 2008