Blueshell buys more sites

SHETLAND’s largest mussel farming business, Brae based Blueshell Mussels continues to grow.

On Monday, the company announced that they had bought the workboats and equipment from Westside mussel farming business Demlane, and have also entered into an agreement with SI Seafarms Limited to manage their 15 farming sites in Shetland. The SI sites were previously managed by Demlane.

The arrangement will consolidate the industry in Shetland and will allow Demlane to concentrate on its recently extended processing factory in Walls.

Blueshell Mussels managing director Michael Laurenson was unavailable for comment yesterday, but in a prepared statement the company said the deal should “protect and develop” the industry’s long term future.

“Our core business strength and expertise is in mussel production and primary mussel processing, I believe it makes sense for us to concentrate on this, and in so doing can bring growth, economic benefit and efficiency through this development,” Mr Laurenson said.

Chairman and managing director of Demlane, Malcolm Parkinson, said: “This agreement allows each of the companies concerned to play to their strengths, creating economies of scale, efficiencies in processing and adding value throughout the supply chain, bringing new and exciting products to the UK and EU market place.”

Family run Blueshell Mussels was formed in 1997 and has since then grown into the biggest rope grown mussel producer in the UK and a key member of the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG).

The company harvests around 1,300 tonnes of mussels annually from its own sites and has just invested £750,000 to increase production further.