Collaborations and TV features crystallise the future for Isle of Skye Sea Salt

“If you’re going to use salt, you might as well have the best sea salt you can find!” laughs Isle of Skye Sea Salt director Meena Watts.

Established in 2011, the company was set up with the aim of producing a high quality, gourmet sea salt with minimal impact on the Skye environment. Almost a decade, and many awards, later Meena says, “In the beginning, we used to recommend people use the salt in salads but then we started adding it to all our food. It’s great as it doesn’t dominate the taste but just melts into and improves the flavour of all types of dishes, and you only need to use a small amount.” Indeed, feedback from a repeat customer confirms this: “I love cooking with your salt and think about its purity and provenance every time.” Meena added, “These kind of comments bring joy to our hearts!”

Fellow director, Chris Watts adds, “We have always looked at the business in a holistic way, with eco-credentials at the heart of the business, from production to the packaging design to the end product. We are very proud to be part of the Scottish Food and Drink Industry, which we know will continue to thrive.”

Asked how Isle of Skye Sea Salt had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Meena replied, “Like most businesses, we’ve had a challenging year. Initially, we had to adjust and focus on our producer partners and increasing online custom until our catering and retail customers were also able to re-open in the latter half of the season. The eco-credentials, provenance, texture and taste have all made a difference to repeat orders. Every order matters to us. We are keen to promote the Isle of Skye brand.

We would like to say a really big thank you to all our supporters; chefs, collaborators, online and local buyers. Our hearts go out to businesses that have put in as much effort as us but perhaps haven’t survived. Hearing about the vaccine, we feel there is light at the end of the tunnel. We really feel positive about the future and hope that with the support available many of them will be able to start again.”

Recent collaborations with Graham’s Family Dairy on an Isle of Skye Sea Salt butter, Chocolates of Glenshiel and COCO Chocolatier; Isle of Skye Sea Salt have every reason to feel positive about the future. There are also two television features scheduled for 2021 on BBC2 and Channel 4.