Scottish West Coast Langoustine Co-operative
Working from the north-west Highlands our objective is to build upon Scotland's achievements in the sustainable harvesting of renowned seafood from our pristine coastal waters, the Scottish West Coast Langoustine Co-operative's ambitions are to present the jewel of this harvest, our fresh and whole prime langoustine, to the wider British public. Traditionally the bulk of this highly prized produce has been exported to Mediterranean Europe and thus largely bypassing the United Kingdom for the private and commercial kitchens of France, Italy, and Spain. Our aim is to redress this culinary imbalance by marketing this highly nutritious delicacy ever more widely within this country's major food retailers and specialist food shops.
In response to the growing demand for this highly prized shellfish from an increasingly discerning British public we recognise the importance of maintaining 'a continuity of supply' of langoustines of the highest quality on a near daily basis when commercial fishing conditions permit. We commit to only sourcing these langoustines from duly licensed vessels landing that day's catch freshly to market. Once aboard, our prime langoustine will be carefully graded, locally cleaned and stored in a suitably controlled environment, thus ensuring they enter the retailer's locally chosen packaging and logistics domain in their most advantageous condition.
Until now the overwhelming majority of Scottish langoustines offered for sale within the United Kingdom have been tails, often processed, frozen and retailed under the 'scampi' banner. In direct contrast our marketing initiative is focussing upon the traditionally exported prime, whole fresh langoustine harvest from Scotland's coastal fisheries, those landed by the predominantly artisan small-boat fleet fishing their local waters adjacent to Scotland's rural coastal fishing communities.
Provenance is the byword in quality food retailing today, and what could provide greater comfort to the consumer than knowing the vessel name, and date of catch, and fishing location of the langoustines on their plate. We aim to supply this detail on demand to all retailers.
We in Scotland remain fiercely proud of our sea-fishing traditions and their communities in all they do in retaining a vibrant, but albeit shrinking, commercial fleet; Scotland's commercial fishermen continue to generate considerable wealth in to the buoyant Scottish economy.
The Scottish West Coast Langoustine Co-operative aims to significantly enhance the British consumer's awareness and accessibility to this most magnificent and iconic delicacy within Scotland's seafood larder.
