Grade A recognition for Ewing's Seafoods in Belfast

Ewing's Seafoods in Northern Ireland, an awarding supplier of smoked salmon, cod loins and other fresh seafood to top retailers such as Selfridges in London, has achieved British Retail Consortium (BRC) Grade A certification.

The family-owned and managed company, which is based in Belfast and is Northern Ireland's oldest fishmonger, sees the accreditation as an essential stage in its drive to expand sales in Britain and further afield - it has already supplied smoked salmon to markets such as the United Arab Emirates and is also assessing opportunities in the US and Hong Kong.

Director Crawford Ewing says: "BRC is an essential requirement for us as we seek to increase sales to major retailers particularly in Britain. It's a very exacting and challenging process that shows we now have all the systems in place to ensure premium quality and complete product traceability.

"We are, I believe, the only wet fish business in Northern Ireland to achieve BRC Grade A rating.

"We've backed this up by installing a new state-of-the-art computer system and the latest CRM technology, enabling us to respond faster than ever before to the requirements of individual customers and to monitor our business with them."

The small company was among the Northern Ireland success stories in this year's UK Great Taste Award. Entering the influential competition for the first time, Ewing's was listed in the Top 50 Foods for its traditionally smoked cod loins and also gained recognition for its smoked salmon.

Ewing's smokes salmon, cod and other seafood using its own kiln at its premises on the Shankill Road in Belfast, where it has been based since its foundation in 1911. Fish is cured slowly over a fragrant mix of beech and oak wood chips.

Over 300 restaurants and hotels in Northern Ireland, including those run by the region's most respected chefs, now buy fish, mostly on a daily basis, from Ewing's.

"The ethos underpinning our business is quality, now recognised in the BRC Grade A. This is always the first ingredient. Then we add passion. To this we add that wealth of experience and a desire to be the best at what we produce. These passions and skills are fuelled by strong family commitment and a drive to create the best seafood for customers everywhere," adds Mr Ewing.