Name:
Nigel Ovens.
Age:
42.
What is your business called?
McCaskie Butchers.
Where is it based?
Wemyss Bay in Renfrewshire.
What does it produce, what services does it offer?
McCaskie’s is a traditional butchers business. We are proud to be makers of Scotland’s most awarded Haggis, winning six out of the last eight annual national competitions. We are particularly proud to have won the People’s Choice Championship at Haggis Fest (where some 150 members of the public judge the very best Haggises in Scotland) every year since its inception in 2014! We also make Black Pudding and several other national and regional award-winning products, including vegetarian haggis and own a bistro adjoining the butchers shop.
To whom does it sell?
We sell direct to the public from our shop and have a wholesale side where we supply other butchers, retail outlets and a range of leading restaurants (locally and nationally). We also supply the public UK-wide via our e-commerce site.
What is its turnover?
Seven figures and growing.
How many employees?
24 across the shop and bistro.
When was it formed?
The business was founded by my Grandfather, Mearns T. McCaskie, in 1935. I am the third generation and I run the business alongside my mother, Elizabeth (the founder’s daughter, who has spent 52 years working in the business!), and my wife, Helen.
Why did you take the plunge?
I have had an interest in the business from an early age and from my teens I was helping out in the shop. After school I completed a degree in Retail Management, so that naturally lead in to the retail industry. I gained some excellent training from my Uncle Mearns and from several other team members and I seemed to have a reasonable aptitude for butchery! I could see the potential to take the business forward, and wanted to be more in charge of my own destiny, so decided to take full control of the business along with my mother. It was a difficult time for many independent butchers (with many shops closing), but we decided to invest heavily and completely change the interior and exterior of the business. This was a statement of our intent to really modernise the business and take it forward.
How did you raise the start-up funding?
There have been three major stages in the recent development of the business.
Early on, my mother and I invested in completely changing the look and feel of the business.
Then in 2012 we bought the neighbouring café and invested a considerable sum renovating the premises and connecting through to the Deli and Butchers. It was quite a steep learning curve, but we are pleased with the progress and the positive feedback we receive from our customers.
In 2016 we embarked on our largest investment yet, an £800,000 production unit built on land behind the shop. Although it is a state-of-the-art unit, everything is still hand made in genuinely small batches. The additional capacity this facility gives us is presenting many opportunities to take the business forward.
All this was achieved using a combination of our own funds and support from Royal Bank of Scotland and Scottish Enterprise. Inverclyde Council have been extremely helpful and supported us throughout the journey we have been on over the last 20 years.
What do you most enjoy about running the business?
I am, and will always be, a butcher at heart, so the development of new products is still what makes me want to get out of bed in the mornings. I developed our award-winning Haggis and Black Pudding recipes myself and was proud to invent ‘Burns Truffles’ which you now see across the country.
What do you least enjoy?
Paperwork!
What are your ambitions for the firm?
We know that consumers are increasingly seeking out products which have genuine provenance and quality credentials and see opportunities to get ours in to wider distribution. We also see potential for our products in leading restaurants. Our new website is launching very soon, so we really want to grow this side of the business this year.
What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?
Be prepared to work hard and never stand still.
How do you relax?
Walking my dogs.
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