TWO SCOTTISH SEAFOOD ENTREPRENEURS TURN THEIR FOCUS ON NEW CHALLENGE

Two Scottish seafood entrepreneurs turn their focus on new challenge. Two successful Scottish seafood entrepreneurs are now focusing their energies on the meat sector and have told Fish Focus that they are looking forward immensely to their new challenge.

Macallan Food Group Ltd has acquired Malcolm Allan Ltd and made a controlling investment in Macsween of Edinburgh Ltd. Both companies are long standing family-owned businesses with significant heritage, the ethos of which the company intends to retain.

Macallan Food Group Ltd is a new Scottish based business headed-up by Bill Hazeldean and Stewart McLelland, both of whom have a long track record of success in the UK seafood and wider food industries, and they are joined on the board by James Macsween, managing director of Macsween of Edinburgh.

Bill Hazeldean and Stewart McLelland are well-respected figures in the seafood and food sectors. Hazeldean started his seafood career at Clipper Seafoods in Aberdeen in 1978. He became managing director of Macfish and then set up Macrae Foods in the 1990s. Subsequently, he has been Chairman of biscuit manufacturer Northumbrian Fine Foods, and until 18 months ago was chairman of Associated Seafoods Ltd. McLelland has been a managing director at Macrae Foods, Superior Foods, The Scottish Salmon Company and Northumbrian Fine Foods.

Bill Hazeldean, who is chairman of Macallan Food Group, told Fish Focus:

“Scotland has a fantastic reputation for the quality of its produce, including seafood and meat, and it seems an entirely natural progression for us to take on this exciting new challenge with two of Scotland’s premier butchery product suppliers. We are very excited about the opportunities for growth.”

Malcolm Allan Ltd employs 108 people at their factory in Larbert, Scotland, and Macsween employ 55 people at Loanhead, near Edinburgh. Malcom Allan Ltd are manufacturers of quality Scottish meat products, supplying the retail sector with a range of items including Lorne sausage, steak pies, sausages, black pudding, burgers, as well as other traditional butcher meat lines. Macsween of Edinburgh is a renowned traditional haggis and black pudding manufacturer and its innovative range includes vegetarian options.

James Macsween said:

“The Macsween family are delighted that the business is part of an ambitious new venture which will enable us to fulfil our strategic growth plans in the future. Both businesses have strong brands in particular sectors of the meat category, and we look forward to working together with the Malcolm Allan team.”

Gordon Allan of Malcom Allan Ltd stated:

“Malcolm Allan has been our family business since it was formed by our father in 1954. Having decided to retire, my brother and I wanted to ensure that the new owners would maintain the values, ethos and reputation of our family business after our departure. In particular, we want to look after our customers who have enabled us to build our business, and also maintain employment for our employees, many of them having been with us for a very long time. We believe the new owners will maintain our values, and we are confident that we are leaving the business in safe hands. We will help in the handover process, to ensure a smooth transition”.

Bill Hazeldean added:

“Acquiring the Malcolm Allan business, alongside our investment in Macsween’s of Edinburgh, brings together two excellent businesses, both having product quality and customer service as their key priorities and core values. Macallan Food Group is backed by a family trust, that makes long term investments, so the fundamental ethos of the business will not change.

“We will continue to run both businesses as separate entities, utilising synergies where appropriate, but retaining the individual identities and strengths of each organisation. It will be business as usual in the coming months, as we implement our 200-day plan, and develop our strategy for the future.”