Partnership Helps Shellfish Companies Grow
Companies can build success through a strategic partnership which helps them to enter new markets or develop new products for existing customers. Two Scottish shellfish companies have done just that and are now reaping the rewards.
The Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG) is the UK's premier producer of quality shellfish, supplying supermarkets, wholesalers and restaurants with rope-grown mussels and Pacific Oysters
SSMG has its own packing, processing and despatch facility in Bellshill, which also has live shellfish holding tanks , live shellfish packing and production lines for value added items such as cooked mussels in a variety of sauces. The business has a turnover of around £10.5 million and has 85 employees at the Bellshill plant.
Burgons of Eyemouth was founded a century ago to process herring and is a third generation family business. The company now produces a full range of crab and crabmeat products for catering and food service markets and for value-added processing. The business has a turnover of £3 to £4 million and employs up to 70 people.
SSMG has strong track record in developing new products which has been integral to its strong relationships with multiple retailers who are always looking for new lines. To strengthen these links, SSMG decided to broaden its range of products away from simply mussels and oysters. The company wanted to develop a crab product for one of its major retail customers and approached Burgons.
The management teams of both SSMG and Burgons have worked closely to ensure the success of the collaboration. Although the businesses face different challenges (such as SSMG having to meet the demands of major multiple retailers), they have overcome any teething issues and consider the partnership to be a success.
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