First exports to China of Hebridean Langoustines

First consignment of West Coast Hebridean Langoustines leaving Goat Island for China

Langoustines from Macduff Shellfish’s Stornoway plant are now being exported to China – and the premium product is in the running for one of the seafood industry’s top global awards.

These latest developments underline the success of a decision two years ago to brand “Wild Caught Hebridean Langoustines” as a geographically-identified product, rather than being sold generically into the seafood market.

Macduff Shellfish is part of the Canadian-owned Clearwater group and has invested heavily in the Stornoway plant, in partnership with Stornoway Port Authority. High velocity air freezing technology allows the langoustines to be frozen within 25 minutes or less, locking in freshness, preserving their colour and retaining a firm texture.

John Ashmore, marketing director for Europe, Middle-East and Africa, told the Gazette: “We began selling Wild Caught Hebridean Langoustines at the end of 2021, and over the past 18 months distribution has increased to more and more countries around the world.

“Beginning in southern Europe, including Italy, Spain and France, led to further expansion into other markets as far away as North America.

“With the Chinese marketplace emerging out of COVID-19 lockdowns, and the food service industry beginning its transition back to a pre-pandemic landscape, the first order of Wild Caught Hebridean Langoustines recently left Stornoway and is currently en route to China”.

On top of this, the product has been shortlisted as a finalist from a field of over 80 for a Seafood Excellence Global Award which will be announced at the Seafood Expo Global to be held in Barcelona later this month.

Finalists will be judged by a group of seafood experts “based on eating experience, packaging, convenience, originality, nutritional value and market potential”. Mr Ashmore described the brand’s selection as a finalist for this accolade as “great recognition of the product and an opportunity to showcase it to an even wider audience”.

Macduff’s success in marketing the Hebridean product has led to an expansion in staff at the Stornoway base as well as increased opportunities for the islands’ fishing fleet as well as boats based in Skye and Wester Ross.

The shellfish buyer at Goat Island, Iain Macleod, said: “Seventeen new employees have joined us in the last few weeks, with the workforce going from 19 at the time we moved into the new factory to nearly 50 now. There were only eleven boats landing to us two years ago and there are nearly 30 regularly landing now”.

Vessels which supply Goat Island are typically fishing for only 24 to 48 hours at a time to ensure freshness of landings. The company has developed long-standing partnerships with the crews to ensure a regular and consistent supply of the product.

As well as direct into Goat Island, catches are landed into Lochinver, Ullapool, Aultbea and Gairloch as well as Carbost and Uig in Skye and freighted overnight in refrigerated trucks to Stornoway for processing and packing.

The £4.6 million investment which was completed at Goat Island in 2021 involved a partnership between MacDuff and Stornoway Port Authority with support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.