Scottish langoustine are the mainstay of the Braehead (SFO Enterprises) Ltd processing unit in Fraserburgh, Scotland, where business has gone from strength to strength in the past three years, thanks to the development of a superior langoustine tail product that is in demand from buyers in Spain, Italy and the UK.
“I had a vision to produce a premium quality product using our local catch that did not exist on the market,” explains Operations Manager Dale Bellamy. “By harnessing the unique design, efficiency and innovation of IQF Frost Swedish technology, I managed to achieve that vision. Customer interest increased, sales went up, and buyers continue to boost their orders.”
Dale says that two major factors influenced the quality of the product. “Firstly, using my long term experience, I sought to improve sea to pack procedures, and to facilitate ideal conditions for each process in the chain, based on a strict HACCP. To help improve quality at sea, all vessels were encouraged to become part of the Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme, which focuses on this important issue. Once in the factory, strict quality control procedures and best practice are followed, and the catch is cleaned and processed whilst still in peak condition,” he states.
“The second factor was the installation of an OctoFrost™ freezer, manufactured by Swedish company IQF Frost. This made an immediate and dramatic improvement to the appearance and quality of our product,” says Dale.
Freezing speed in the OctoFrost™ is equal to or faster than with cryogenic freezing. This locks in the natural moisture, and gives a much higher meat yield on thawing, which was important to Dale Bellamy, who supplies to the specialist market and to whole tail scampi producers. He especially appreciates the integral glazing process, which produces a fully controllable, transparent crystal hard glaze that enhances product appearance, as well as physically protecting it.
Since implementing the new technology in 2007, factory production has increased 3-fold and Dale has ambitions to increase output further this year once local langoustine stocks achieve MSC status. “We will soon be going through the MSC Chain of Custody procedure so that we are ready to process MSC langoustine when they become available. The SFO are a stakeholder in this process. There is a lot of interest from buyers in an ecolabel branded product and we are priming the market in anticipation,” he says.
Dale Bellamy is particularly pleased that his production process has established the brand as a market leader in quality, and that it has won the approval of top Scottish chef Nick Nairn. The chef is currently developing a frozen retail pack of Scottish langoustine tails using the OctoFrost™-processed product. “The minute I tasted the first sample I knew I had found something different that fitted in with my philosophy of using only the best ingredients,” states Nick Nairn. “I was very impressed with both the frozen and defrosted quality and am happy to lend my name and reputation to the product.”
Fresh langoustine tails have a short shelf life, can spoil quickly, and experience damage during transport. By using cutting edge IQF Frost technology, Dale Bellamy found that he could offer the end user a far more convenient product than the fresh alternative. “Fresh products are never fresh when they reach the consumer, because they spend several days in transportation and lose taste, texture and visual appeal” he explains. “We capture the freshness of the product within hours of the catch, and whilst we cannot compete with buying direct from the boat, customers in London, Paris, Milan and Madrid do not have this opportunity, and appreciate that our frozen product is superior to fresh.”
Ruben Larsson, MD of IQF Frost, is delighted be part of the SFO’s success in the market. “From the very beginning Dale Bellamy understood the advantages of our new innovative technology. After confirming tests in one of our units in the Netherlands, it was an easy decision for Dale to go ahead. The OctoFrost™ is adaptable to many different types of seafood and non-seafood products, and never fails to deliver the expected performance. Our customers also report excellent results with IQF frozen shrimp and mussel meat,” he stated.
