Expansion on menu after popular East Lothian smokehouse brought back to life

Fresh investment has been pledged after a popular East Lothian food business was brought back to life following pandemic closure.

Ethico Holdings has bought the Belhaven Smokehouse, which was established 46 years ago and is located just outside Dunbar, and has hired five staff, including the original fish smokers, with future expansion plans on the cards.

It has been brought back to life after its founders closed the business during the pandemic due to retirement.

The company, which will be run by managing director Rob Trotter, has plans to develop and invest a six-figure sum in the 4.5-acre site by upgrading the smokehouse production facility, enlarging the existing shop and delicatessen, and extending the current product range to create a “unique food and leisure destination”.

Belhaven Smokehouse has built up a reputation among some of Scotland’s best-known chefs, hotels and food outlets.

Trotter is from a farming background but has spent the last 20 years rising to director level with one of the largest property management firms in the UK. He will be directly involved in the day-to-day running of the business which is focused locally on direct sales through the shop and nationally online and through wholesale supply to shops, restaurants, and hotels.

Trotter said: “Together with the exciting business opportunity this business presented to us, it is a privilege to preserve the ancient tradition of hand curing and smoking fish. To ensure continuity in the quality of the produce, we have retained the core production staff who, over many years, have developed their skills in this age-old preservation and flavouring technique.

“Belhaven Smokehouse products have a very distinct flavour and unique texture which has always been highly prized by chefs and consumers. Our salmon and trout, which all come from Scotland, are cured, and marinated by hand then slowly smoked over oak shavings.”

He added: “We are also committed to sourcing a wider range of produce for our shop and will consult with our customers to ensure we supply the products they most want.

“We’re all really passionate about great food, especially Scottish food, and we love small, specialist producers, especially those who come from our local area.”

Belhaven Smokehouse has built up a reputation among some of Scotland’s best-known chefs, hotels and food outlets, including Joe Queen, executive chef at Archerfield House, and Chris Niven, executive chef at the newly refurbished Marine Hotel in North Berwick.

The new owners formed Ethico Holdings to ensure that “ethics and strict moral principles always remain at the heart of their business ambitions”.

The business has hired Marie-Clare James who is said to have extensive food industry experience, most recently as a wholesale, seafood account manager focusing on the restaurant and hotel market in Scotland. She also ran a Scottish Government project in schools to encourage more children to enjoy seafood.

She said: “We’re going to expand the online business with our products which appeal to people across the UK because of their provenance, authenticity, and quality. We believe that this side of the business, along with the development of the Smokehouse site as a food destination, provides an amazing opportunity for growth.”

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