When I left school, at 15 and a half, it was a natural step to turn my passion into a fledgling business. In 1984 I opened Grants in Maryport with a friend, assisted by £12,000 from Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government, which was trying to boost the local economy.
I was taught the finer arts of smoking by Master Smoker Roy Martin from Gretna and there we were, tiny premises, no cash and not much of a clue about business. We started out smoking and hand slicing individual fish and delivering them to local hotels. Fish by fish, mile by mile, we built the business.
Of course, we had competitors, but I had always known quality was key. If we supplied people with the best smoked salmon, as a reasonable cost, why would they go elsewhere? Our reputation grew and so did our business. From single hotels we began supplying local wholesalers, then as word of the business spread, we gained customers across the UK.
We moved from our tiny premises into a slightly bigger facility. Then a bigger one again. Our team grew and grew and at our two large sites, I now employ some of the grandchildren of the very first members of staff. Nothing makes me prouder.