Making a packet

Canadians are getting a little flavour of Scotland with exports of Mackie’s crisps experiencing a six-fold increase in one year.

Commonwealth Games Secretary Shona Robison announced the rise during a visit to a store in Toronto which stocks the Perthshire firm’s products. Ms Robison is in the country as the Queen’s Baton Relay continues its journey through Canada.

279,000 packets were exported to Canada last year - up from 46,000 in 2012 – and the Canadian market now makes up around 40 per cent of Mackie’s export sales turnover.

Ms Robison said:

“This is another terrific example of a Scottish firm making a big impact on the international stage, and it’s great to see Scottish brands on supermarket shelves abroad.

“Mackie’s have been working extremely hard to gain a foothold in Canada and this has resulted in tremendous sales figures – a six-fold increase in one year is remarkable.

“Scotland has a fantastic natural larder with impeccable provenance credentials, iconic products and strong global brands, and I’m delighted to see that Mackie’s are contributing to Scotland’s food and drink success story.”

Ronnie Wilson, Commercial Director for Mackie’s Crisps, said:

“The response to our crisps in Canada has been tremendous, and our Scottish provenance has proven to be a key selling point in this market.

“Following the introduction of our dedicated Canadian packaging at the beginning of this year, which is bi-lingual and features a prominent saltire flag, we now have scope to broaden our distribution into mass grocery channels. Furthermore, we are about to launch 13 new lines into the Canadian market – in addition to the nine lines we already supply there.”