Sixteen companies exhibiting on the Scottish Pavilion at the world’s largest seafood show next week (Tuesday 23rd April – Thursday 25th April) are confident of finding new global business. In 2012, Scottish exhibitors reported sales of just over £40 million as a direct result of attending the European Seafood Exposition (ESE).

More than 25,000 seafood buyers attend the expo, along with exhibitors from 70+ countries. The Scottish Pavilion, organised by Scottish Development International, is one of the most popular and busy venues at ESE and benefits from the presence of a seafood bar, operated by Seafood Scotland.
This year it will be manned by a top team from the Federation of Chefs Scotland, who will showcase Scottish seafood at its best.

“Scottish seafood has a key role to play in leading sustainable economic growth in the food and drink sector and we anticipate a lot of interest from overseas buyers in the top quality seafood our chefs will be sampling,” said Graham Young, head of Seafood Scotland.

The team includes the Federation president Kevin McGillivray and vice president Ian MacDonald, as well as the current Scottish Chef of the Year David Littlewood, and we are looking forward to some exiting and tasty seafood dishes.

“We are all passionate about cooking with seafood and working in Scotland, have some of the best, if not the best, fish and shellfish to cook with,” stated Kevin McGillivray.

The seafood bar also acts as an information point, with experts on fisheries and aquaculture, business development and marketing on hand to assist companies. It is a congenial place for exhibiting companies and Scottish visitors to conduct business, network, and share ideas with the international seafood community. ”

Scottish seafood exports represent a major proportion of overall food and drink exports. Scottish vessels account for approximately 66% of the UK fleet, land roughly 70% of the UK catch, and capture the bulk of the world's langoustine supplies. Scotland is the world's third largest producer of farmed salmon, exporting to more than 60 international markets.