Scottish food and drink companies receive cash boost

A Taste of Arran has secured funding to build a new factory

Fifteen rural food and drink companies will share £3.7m in government money, it has been confirmed.

One of the organisations to secure just under £1.6m is a Taste of Arran, a co-operative of firms based on the Firth of Clyde island.

It plans to build a factory for the production of milk, ice-cream, cheeses and oatcakes and create 37 new jobs.

Other businesses to benefit include Aberdeen & Northern Eggs; Rizza's of Huntly and Border Biscuits of Lanark.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead made the funding announcement at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.

It marks the tenth round of financial awards from the Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation Scheme (FPMC) which launched in 2008 and has provided a total of £30m of funding for small to medium enterprises across Scotland.

After meeting with Taste of Arran's managing director Alastair Dobson, Mr Lochhead said: "The Royal Highland Show is always a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Scotland's larder.

"From our top quality Scotch beef and lamb and award-winning seafood, to unique regional cheeses and our iconic haggis, it's clear to see why Scotland has a growing reputation as one of the world's greatest producers of quality food.

"The £3.7m of funding announced today will provide an essential boost to food and drink companies across Scotland, from Huntly to Ayr and from Laurencekirk to Duns.

"It will leverage a further £12.4m of investment from the companies involved, injecting a total of £16.1m into Scottish food and drink."

"By investing in these small companies we are helping to capitalise on this flourishing industry and transport the fruits of our natural larder to dinner tables across the globe."

The list of those awarded money are;

• Aberdeen & Northern Eggs Ltd trading as Farmlay Eggs, Strichen, will £52,100 to buy and install two additional packing lanes and a crate washer

• Belcher Food Products Limited, Prestwick, will receive £191,448 to upgrade the building which houses the business's pork steak line and purchase a range of processing and packing equipment

• Kezie Ltd of Duns will receive £135,828 to buy and install additional processing and packing equipment, together with new freezing and chilled storage facilities

• Rizza's of Huntly will receive £40,932 to buy and install two continuous freezers and a rotary cup filler

• Glenrath Farms Ltd, West Linton, will receive £965,227 to construct a building and extensions to the packing station and purchase a robotic egg grading line

• JP Gray & Son of Carnoustie will receive £225,024 to construct new intake and despatch cold stores, dock loading facilities, and associated refrigeration equipment

• Fearns of Laurencekirk will receive £45,208 to purchase a new carrot processing line, vegetable washer and potato drier

• Scotch Premier Meats Ltd in Inverurie will receive £134,757 to construct new offal processing and chilled storage areas and cattle and sheep offal processing lines

• Stuart Grant Quality Meats in Grantown-on-Spey will receive £87,546 to build an extension to their factory and purchase a range of new plant and equipment

• Berryfields Limited of Mintlaw will receive £45,044 to construct a new dry goods and packaging store and upgrade an existing building to provide an additional packing area. The funding will also allow the company to buy and install a new blast freezer and refrigeration equipment

• Border Biscuits of Lanark will receive £334,692 to fund an extension to the factory, a fully automated biscuit production line, an oven, and conveying and packing equipment

• The Scottish Organic Producers Association at Ingliston will receive £8,442 of funding towards a feasibility study to investigate Scotland's current organic processing capacity

• This is Organics Ltd in Forres will receive £150,000 of funding towards the salaries and associated costs of a Marketing and Sales Manager and Business Development Executive

• R & K Drysdale Ltd in Berwickshire will receive £150,000 of funding towards the salaries and associated costs of a Key Account Director and Business Development Executive