AS small businesses ponder the uncertainty caused by last week’s interest rate rise and the Brexit vote a meat industry veteran provides a reminder of the difficulties that have been caused by increases in business rates this year.

Name:

Andrew Ramsay.

Age:

60.

What is your business called?

Ramsay of Carluke Ltd.

Where is it based?

Carluke, South Lanarkshire.

What does it produce?

Traditional bacon, black pudding, haggis and sausages.

To whom does it sell?

Butchers, delis, food halls, garden centres, hotels, restaurants and via our web site to the public across the UK.

What is its turnover?

£2 million.

How many employees?

24.

When was it formed?

1857 – we are celebrating 160 years this year.

Why did you take the plunge?

The business has been in the family since it was founded so I didn’t take the plunge as such – I got involved as soon as I was old enough to work and the business is still on our back door.

As I was growing up, my father sent me out to work on farms belonging to different family members and friends so that I would get an understanding of the time and effort that the farmer has to put in to rearing high quality pigs. It was a great learning curve and it certainly gave me an insight and appreciation of farmers that will never leave me. We have always paid our farmers more than market value for their pigs to help make sure they get a fair price for their work, stay in business and therefore give us continuity of supply.

What was your biggest break?

One day in the early 1980’s - not long after we had opened a small retail shop at our factory selling pork bacon and sausages - we received a phone call asking if we could take visitors. The answer was yes and we ended up getting a mini bus full of food writers and journalists come to visit us. We spent the afternoon with them, showing them our traditional bacon curing methods which have been handed down through the generations, gave each of them samples of our products and told them our family history. After that virtually every one of them wrote a glowing article about us. Having articles about our products in the press, weekend supplements and even in the first of several Scots cookery books was hugely beneficial for our business. Our reputation spread as did the geographical area we were selling in.

What was your worst moment?

Losing my father to cancer when I was 32. At that time the food industry was going through a difficult period as there were lots of changes in legislation and conflict around the interpretation of the new rules. I wasn’t sure how we were going to survive these changes so we had a meeting with some staff from the then-UK Government food agency for advice. They said that our factory was old and they didn’t think that it could be updated in order to comply with new regulations. That negativity lit a spark within me which made me determined to prove them wrong!

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

I get to meet lots of amazing and interesting people from all sectors of the food industry. Their depth of knowledge, enthusiasm and passion about what they do is inspiring. Quirky enquiries can lead to some good fun – we once got involved in the making of a limited edition bacon chocolate which actually worked really well and was delicious. I also take pleasure in the fact we employ local people and can give something back to a community that has supported us for many years.

What do you least enjoy?

Paperwork and form filling, which I usually try to pass on to my long-suffering wife.

What is your biggest bug bear?

Relentless cold calling.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

To achieve growth and increased profitability without ever compromising the quality of our product.

What are your five top priorities?

Quality; satisfied customers; profit; a happy workforce and keeping the family tradition alive.

What could the Westminster / Scottish Government do that could help?

In a year of Brexit uncertainty and price rises in all raw ingredients and materials, a fairer rates system would help. Our rates shot up this year whilst other businesses had reductions or no rates at all. It doesn’t seem like a level playing field to me!

The Scottish Government has and is investing in the Scottish food industry, partly through support for Food and Drink Scotland. More initiatives like the organisation’s Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, which promotes the country’s produce and encourages the public to get involved, would be very welcome.

Scottish Enterprise has always been a great help to us and very encouraging.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?

During the good times, invest for the bad times.

This one piece of advice has been invaluable over the years as disastrous events like BSE, Foot and Mouth disease and E.coli changed the market instantly, rendering any business plan obsolete.

How do you relax?

When you live beside your business, with a commute to the office of under a minute, work is always part of your life so relaxing tends to happen during holidays.

I enjoy the outdoors, so I like to ski in the winter and a mixture of exploring and lying beside a pool in the summer with a bundle of books. Unsurprisingly I love good food, so, whenever I can I fill the table with family and friends, add a glass or two of red wine, and it doesn’t get much better for me..