Press Releases 2005
4th October 2005
Spoff (Scotland) Ltd prepares for learning journey to North America.
Angus and Margaret Mackenzie who run a small family business producing breakfast cereals and healthy snacks in Invergordon, Ross-shire, are preparing for a trip to North America to investigate the possibilities of marketing their products in the United States, or Canada or both.
Spoff (Scotland) Ltd, who recently won a contract supplying prestigious own label Muesli to the Windsor Farm Shop, are now looking at marketing their products further a field. With the help of a Business Learning Account, supported by Ross & Cromarty Enterprise, and equipped with a tape recorder to record for the BBC Scotland “Grassroots” programme they will shortly be setting off for a trip which will take them from New York, through Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto, Victoria and Vancouver before returning to the United States on the West Coast at San Francisco.
“We have already commissioned some market research in both countries, and will continue researching ourselves by looking at market trends in Health and Wholefoods, in the areas we are visiting.” Said Angus. “We have set up meetings with individuals, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and importers, and when we are not in meetings we will be visiting supermarkets and whole food, health food and organic shops to identify what is already available, and what the public want or need. During the trip we will visit the Grocery Innovations Trade Show in Toronto, which takes place at the end of the month. Here we hope to find out, first hand, what is new in the trade so that we can identify which trends we might follow – and know what is not worth considering because someone else has got there first!”
When the company were approached by the BBC’s producer of “Grassroots” it seemed an opportunity not to be missed. Margaret, who has appeared on the programme before, said, ”We have been asked to record as much or as little as we like. We will certainly record a daily bulletin for the producer of the programme and I am hoping that we will also have the opportunity to record some of our meetings as well interviews with customers in shops – I am told that every American is just waiting to be interviewed by the media!” “ The best thing about it” she continued “is that recording a diary will help us remember what we have done each day, without having to write it all down!”
On their return Margaret and Angus will spend time collating their findings and if it appears to be feasible to continue it is possible that next year they will be exhibiting their products at The Grocery Innovations Show. If this is the case it will undoubtably mean further expansion of their business in Invergordon.
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