From celebrity TV chef Rick Stein to leading restaurants and stores right across Europe, praise is high for the salmon produced by Loch Duart Ltd, based in Sutherland.

The company has two neighbouring sites which employ over 50 people, and produces approximately 2,000 tonnes of salmon annually.

Nick Joy is the managing director and one of three executive directors who started the company in 1999 having taken over a farm established in 1974. He reveals the international demand for Loch Duart salmon:

"We're exporting to a host of different countries, including France, Holland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Malta, South Africa, Hong Kong, Japan and the USA.

"As our entire business is about the quality of our fish, transport is just as much a part of that process. Two days after harvest they're in Russia and South Africa. It travels chilled and air-freighted.

"You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between salmon in the States and any Loch Duart salmon in local fishmongers there. Taste is very important and freshness is critical to achieve the very best."

The company also sells to prestige outlets in the UK and a key reason for much of its success can be found in the quality of the product. Loch Duart is accredited to ISO 14001 which reflects the fact that Loch Duart has accepted that all organisations undertake activities which have an impact on the environment. It is awarded to organisations that demonstrate effective environmental management, compliance with legislation and commitment to continuous improvement.

The company's methods include:

• Full-year fallows - as in traditional rotational land farming
• No antifouling treatments on nets
• No antibiotics
• Fish feed from sustainable sources
• Enacting an Environmental Management System (ISO 14001)
• Respect for the salmon, the environment and the local community