Glen Lyon Coffee: Supporting a Global Community

Acertified B Corp with a mission to put people and environment before profit, Glen Lyon Coffee is committed to making its impact on the planet a positive one.

Set up in 2011, in Perthshire’s beautiful and remote Glen Lyon, founder Fiona Grant installed a basic roaster in the bothy next to her house to produce small batch roasts for sale at local farmers’ markets. Two years later the business moved to a larger roastery in nearby Aberfeldy.

Since its inception, Glen Lyon Coffee has strived to prove that the coffee community can work towards positive change. It pioneered compostable coffee packaging in Scotland, partially powers the Aberfeldy roastery with solar, and plants trees in the Highlands to pay back its carbon debt.

At the core of the business is a passion for delicious coffee and a commitment to ethical and sustainable coffee sourcing. Glen Lyon Coffee buys seasonally from Latin America and Africa and has direct trade links with farms in Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. In 2022, it became the first speciality coffee company in Scotland to roast a coffee shipped from Colombia aboard a sailboat, offering a taste of a future less reliant on carbon-intensive cargo shipping.

Errichel: From Farm to Fork

When Paul Newman set up his farmto-fork business in Aberfeldy, which includes a restaurant, deli, holiday accommodation, and working farm, he was determined to do things differently.

Paul’s career had spanned from his native South Africa across internationally renowned hotels and restaurants, all of which had nurtured his belief that food was best when locally sourced, carefully reared and treated with respect.

This strong set of guiding principles has shaped the business from its inception. A deliberate choice to farm only native, rarebreed animals, suited to the landscape and environment at Errichel, has resulted in a livestock mix of Shetland cows, Large Black pigs and Shetland sheep to provide a sustainable supply of homegrown produce. The ethos extends into how each animal is used and Paul is firm in his stance that no part of an animal is wasted. From BBQ to restaurant, biltong recipe to frozen deli meals, Errichel uses every last piece of its award-winning produce. Such is the demand, Errichel has recently begun supplying other independent delicatessens in Scotland.

In 2022, in conjunction with Slow Food Scotland, Paul planted 174 orchard trees, 30 of them Scottish heritage apple trees. Not only do the trees contribute towards off-setting the farm’s carbon footprint, but they also increase its biodiversity, habitat and production of food.

Paul’s ongoing commitment to sustainable food production resulted in him being named Sustainable Chef of the Year at the Rare Breed Survival Trust Awards in 2022.

Saorsa 1875: Gourmet Vegan

Accommodation

Founded by the McLaren-Stewart family, Saorsa opened the first fully vegan hotel in the UK – Saorsa 1875 – in 2019.

Run by Sandra McLaren-Stewart, who set out to prove veganism doesn’t need to be restrictive, the hotel is 100% vegan, including staff uniforms, bedding, toiletries, housekeeping products, and power, and boasts a Carbon Free Dining Certified restaurant.

All food is plant-powered and organic and, where possible, is picked directly from the substantial kitchen garden or foraged locally. Saorsa also sources ingredients from local farms and Greencity (a food cooperative based in Glasgow) to ensure its high standards – and those of its guests – are being met.

The menu is ever changing and is inspired by the travels of the team. Offering a five-course seasonal tasting menu, their creative approach to plant-based ethical ingredients has attracted attention from media and industry alike, and has gained accreditation by The Good Business Charter, a charitable initiative that recognises responsible business practices.

Saorsa’s commitment to the environment and sustainable food choices doesn’t stop in Pitlochry. Whether dining or staying, Saorsa’s customers are invited to plant a fruit tree in one of the world’s poorest communities. This helps counterbalance the carbon from the meals the hotel serves, educates others and helps to reduce poverty within those communities.

Perth: The Place to Grow Your Food & Drink Business in Scotland

Perth Food and Drink Park is an exciting £7.6m development dedicated to supporting Scotland’s growing food and drink industry.

Choose from purpose-built, highspec, food standard units and flexible serviced plots for development.

Sites 6 - 9 are situated just off the Inveralmond Roundabout on the A9, and offer a rarely available opportunity to buy development land for commercial or food-related uses.

Site 6 - 1.99 acres

Site 7 - 2.05 acres

Site 8 - 2.25 acres

Site 9 - 1.21 acres InvestinPerth.co.uk