Sales of Scottish smoked salmon continue to grow, especially in new markets
Scottish smoked salmon has always been popular and has, for many years, been sold across the world. However, in many parts of the world, that market was more or less confined to expats, and a few gourmet food lovers. Much of it was delivered by post or had to be bought from high-end department stores.
Fortunately, those days are gone and smoked salmon is becoming easier to buy in many parts of the world. This is largely due to the effort producers have put into opening up new markets for themselves.
Hotel chefs in the UAE first introduced this delicacy to their country. They realised that the majority of their European guests liked smoked salmon and expected to see it on the menu of the luxury hotel they were staying in. Today, more and more residents want to buy smoked salmon, in particular from Scotland.
The Far East cannot get enough Scottish smoked salmon
The Far East is another part of the world where demand is strong and growing. The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) reports that fresh salmon exports soared from 682 tonnes to 6,779 tonnes last year. Demand for other Scottish seafood products, including smoked salmon, is growing too. It is growing more slowly, but there is certainly a lot of potential in this relatively untapped market. China, where rising incomes, more urbanisation and more sophisticated tastes all feed demand for high-end good quality food products has the biggest potential.
Japan is another market where sales have soared. Sales of smoked salmon from Scotland have risen from £2 million in 2009 to £4.8 million in 2011.
Firms like Ardtaraig Fine Foods, who have been selling high quality food by post for over 25 years, have also seen demand from Europe increase. Many of their European clients include smoked salmon in their orders. Naturally preserved fish products are very popular in countries like Spain and Portugal, and they appreciate high quality fish. Many Dutch, Danes and Norwegians prefer Scottish smoked salmon to locally produced smoke fish, so sales to those countries is also strong.