Discover the quality ingredients and food and drink innovation that makes Scotland number one supplier among foodservice customers.
Did you know?
Scotland's top-quality produce is known around the world. For example, Scottish salmon can be found on the menu in top Sushi restaurants in Tokyo and more Scotch whisky is sold in one month in France than Cognac in a whole year.
Protected status
Scottish beef and Scottish lamb have Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.
22% of exports
Scotch whisky accounts for 22% of all UK food and drinks exports.
High quality
Scottish salmon was the first foreign product to gain France’s prestigious 'Label Rouge' quality mark.
Scottish food and drink innovation
Scottish provenance, quality ingredients and creative flair
Foodservice customers are drawn to Scotland’s diversity of high-quality produce and reputation in food innovation.
Scotland has a well-established reputation in food and drink production. Current innovations in menu development, production and market delivery are helping foodservice operators access a diverse range of sustainably sourced, quality ingredients. These enhance menus and increase creativity in the industry.
Chefs seek to discover, learn and create new menu items every day – from the latest cocktail creation to the newest plant-based burger.
Excellence in Scottish seafood, salmon, Scotch beef, lamb, premium grocery, dairy, bakery and alcoholic beverages such as gin and whisky makes Scotland’s supply chain a top choice for foodservice operators around the world.
Benefits of working with Scotland's foodservice suppliers
Leading through responsibility
Sustainability is increasingly important in every aspect of restaurant operations. Customers are beginning to consider this when choosing a restaurant, so promoting sustainability is crucial and Scottish producers can help.
From the depths of the Atlantic and North Sea, Scottish seafood is known and exported around the world. Responsibly and sustainably managed, seven of the top species have achieved MSC/ASC certification, meeting international best practice guidelines for certification and eco-labelling.
Scotland’s producers continue to collaborate internationally with restaurants, hotel groups, cruise lines and other hospitality outlets to create solutions for today’s discerning consumers. Scottish producers play a role in developing customised products and solutions such as portion control, exciting flavour combinations and ‘new’ ingredients.
Scotland has a good mix of new, disruptive companies and older, established companies. They are putting innovation at the heart of their operations, creating products that capture the imagination of chefs and their guests.
And if you’re looking to fill a food niche or cater to more dietary requirements, Scotland’s suppliers can provide a wide range of innovative gluten free, organic, vegan and health foods to international markets.
Talking to customers
Diners want an experience they can’t create at home. That’s why Scotland’s approach to menu development and food innovation includes great customer relationships. Talking to customers and sharing ideas creates an exciting and rewarding culinary experience.
Quality Scottish food and drink products
Scotland is now the third largest farmed salmon producer in the world and currently exports to 54 countries. We helped pioneer the world’s salmon farming industry, building the sector from a small player into today’s multi-million-pound industry.
Nature, as well as ambition, played its part in the industry’s growth, with Scotland’s many sea lochs providing a perfect environment to farm fish. Unpolluted seas and strong currents are essential to help develop the firm, textured flesh and exceptional flavour Scottish Salmon is renowned for.
Scottish Salmon was the first non-French food to gain the prestigious 'Label Rouge' quality mark. The unique quality, taste and flavour offered by Scottish Salmon has made it a global favourite with both diners and chefs.
Scotland is one of Europe’s largest seafood producers, our cold, clean waters make Scotland’s seafood in demand around the globe, from Hong Kong to Miami, Paris and Milan, sustainable seafood from the cold clear waters of Scotland is the preferred choice for the world’s best chefs. From the Highlands to the Lowlands, from the calm of our sea lochs to the wild waters of the outer islands, Scotland is an ideal location to source fish and seafood.
We can provide a wide range of fish and seafood, including:
Langoustines (over two thirds of the world’s langoustines are sourced here)
Mussels
Crab
Oysters
Lobster
Haddock
Cod
Rainbow Trout
Hake
Scallops
Monkfish
Herring
Mackerel
The world’s top chefs put a premium on our produce. From prime shellfish to white and oily fish, the variety, quality and health benefits of Scotland’s catch can’t be bettered.
Scotland has one of the most modern fishing fleets in Europe, with our global trade and transport links ensuring that produce arrives in the world’s kitchens and markets as fresh as the day it was landed or harvested.
There are now over140 whisky distilleries operating in Scotland - the greatest concentration of whisky production in the world. Using local water and grains, the flavour of our whiskies is as varied as our country; the alchemy of location and landscape adding character at every step of the production process.
While many countries in the world produce whisky, only one country - Scotland - can make ‘Scotch’. Rightly famed for its flavour, aroma and complexity, the world-conquering drink is a simple distillation of just three raw materials: water, cereals and yeast. Only when the whisky has matured in Scotland for a minimum of three years, can it be labelled and sold as Scotch Whisky.
44 bottles of Scotch Whisky are shipped overseas every second, accounting for 22% of total UK food and drink exports. (Source: Scotch Whisky Association)
While we’re famous for our whisky, Scotland also produces beer, gin, rum, vodka and other top quality drinks.
We have over 100 craft breweries in Scotland, producing beers, ales, lagers and stouts. As well as traditional beers, Scottish breweries are producing some of the world’s most innovative and exciting beers – we’ve got coffee beers, gluten free beers, high-strength beers, flavoured beers, beer aged in rum barrels, beer aged in whisky casks and more.
Our gin industry is also thriving. In 2019 alone, 132 new Scottish gins entered the market, plus around 25 new gin brands and 15 new distilleries. Many of our gins are unique to Scotland, making use of regional botanicals like heather, thistle and even sea kelp. Not to mention three of the world’s best-selling gins – Hendrick’s, Gordon’s and Tanqueray – are all produced here in Scotland.
If you’re looking for innovative and unique drinks for your business, we’re confident Scotland can provide what you’re looking for.
When it comes to rearing prime beef, lamb and pork, our farmers go for quality, not quantity. Compared with most other livestock-producing countries, Scottish herds are small.
The meat produced is globally famed for its flavour and succulence, commanding premium prices on the world stage. Our prime beef and lamb are to be found on some of the best menus, with some big-name chefs often stipulating that they will only cook and serve Scotch Beef.
Traditional Scottish breeds are famous all over the world. From the famed Aberdeen Angus and the iconic Highland, to Luing and Belted Galloways, each breed has a different taste. The same is true of our traditional sheep breeds, with the ancient Blackface, Northern Cheviot and Hebridean, each bred to survive and thrive in our particular landscape.
To guarantee the genuine article, production of Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb is protected by international schemes such as Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
With its nutty texture and peppery flavour, traditional Scottish haggis is gaining popularity around the world with Scots and non-Scots alike. In January 2019, top haggis producers, MacSween, exported haggis to Canada in time for Burns’ night.
This traditional delicacy is also moving with the times. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free haggis is readily available from Scottish producers, making it easy to cater for all diets.
It’s no coincidence that Robert Burns, our national bard, described Scotland as a ‘land o’ cakes’.
Scottish bakers are rising to the double challenge of creating new products and finding fresh markets for our traditional products. Many uniquely Scottish delicacies – shortbread, oatcakes, tablet, fruit cake, gingerbread and speciality biscuits – have already found a global fan base, and not only among the expat community.
Working with all the ingredients available in Scotland, it’s no wonder the country has a distinctive and unique bakery heritage.
From Scotch pies to Forfar bridies, Aberdeen butteries to Dundee cake, Selkirk bannocks to tattie scones, everyone has their own favourite sweet or savoury treat. Add in the delights of caramel wafers, macaroon bars and a range of speciality breads, and Scotland has a lot to offer international buyers.
Today’s bakers are building on that tradition, using their skills to create new and healthier products aimed at a growing global market. Using locally grown and milled flour and oats, Scottish baked goods offer a truly unique taste of tradition.
Oats, one of Scotland’s oldest cereal crops, are the heart of many of the country’s bakery favourites. Now recognised for their health benefits – they can help cut heart disease and are one of the best slow-release complex carbohydrates – this age-old staple of the Scots diet is finding new fans.
Scottish bakers have been quick to respond, with many traditional recipes given innovative and modern twists aimed at health-conscious customers and those who require gluten-free products. As well as the old favourites, these new products are already finding and delighting new consumers
Famous names such as Nairn’s Oatcakes, Tunnock’s, Dean’s of Huntly, Walkers Shortbread, Gardiners of Scotland and Lees already have long-established export businesses, taking Scottish baked delicacies to the wider world.
Scottish dairy herds are among the most efficient in Europe and our abundant rain and lush grass make Scotland one of the world's best places for milk. Using this milk, we also produce top quality cheese. Around 70-80% of the cheese made in Scotland is rich, crumbly cheddar, but a number of Scottish companies also produce brie, hard cheese, goat’s cheese and blue cheese.
Whether you’re looking for the right suppliers or have a potential foodservice project in mind, we'll help you make the right connections to support your needs.
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