Sustainable and proud of it!

Sustainability is very much a ‘buzzword’ nowadays, and quite rightly so, because it is now more important than ever that our food comes from sustainable and responsible sources.

We are rather proud of the fact that our cultivated mussels and oysters are one of the most sustainable types of food around. And what’s the secret? Well, it is because we don’t actually do very much, we just let nature takes its course!

Here is how. Our mussels grow on ropes suspended from floats in the clean seas of the West coast of Scotland and Shetland. The young mussels (as free floating larvae or spat) settle naturally on the suspended ropes, and then grow by feeding on sea plankton. In other words, they do not require any external feed sources (or indeed veterinary treatments), they just hang from the ropes and grow!

Scottish rope-grown mussels do not grow on the seabed and are not dredged for harvesting, which means they are full-bodied and grit-free, and of course, taste great! Our oysters are cultivated in a similar manner, but instead of using ropes, they are grown in special mesh bags that are held on trestles in the inter-tidal zone.

The environmental impact is minimal and mussel and oyster production has a very low carbon footprint.

But don’t just take our word for it. Our mussel farms are independently certified by the Marine Stewardship Council ecolabel scheme for their sustainable and environmentally responsible manner of cultivation! So go on, do your bit for the environment, and treat yourself to some sustainably produced Scottish mussels and oysters!