MUSSEL FARM
We pride ourselves on the top quality of our mussels and have been voted Best Mussel Producer in Scotland on numerous occasions at the trade’s annual competition, hosted by the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers (ASSG).
Just as important as the care we take in the cultivation process, is the fact that Loch Spelve is considered especially suitable for rope grown mussel cultivation. The loch’s remote location, in the south east corner of the Isle of Mull, with virtually no human habitation around its shores, means that it is normally given the top “A Grade” classification for its waters.
With very little mixing between the full salinity salt water and the fresh water from the mountains, Loch Spelve mussels are known for their sweet, fresh and salty taste.
Experience has taught us a lot since we first ventured into this business in the late 1980s. With our strong team of young, local staff, we were more than ready to meet the challenge of adopting a new growing system and we visited various farms in New Zealand to study their methods before becoming the first company in Scotland to invest in the renowned New Zealand continuous rope culture system in 2006.
We take the quality and safety of our product very seriously and employ the services of a marine biologist, so that we can keep a constant check on the water quality. Apart from the normal end product testing, Inverlussa was the first in Scotland to develop its own system for pre-harvesting water analysis.
Our farm produces up to 500 tons of mussels per year, as the health benefits of eating seafood becomes more widely recognised. We have received accreditation from Friends of the Sea for Sustainable Fish Production. We are proud to be a supply member of the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG), a co-operative based in Bellshill near Glasgow, whose customers include Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Lidl and Aldi.
We also supply local hotels and restaurants, to ensure visitors to the island have the opportunity to enjoy local produce, delivered straight from the loch to the table.
