About Us

We are Ruairidh Morrison from the Scottish Hebridean Isle of Islay and Melanie Brown from Ballycastle, and with us are our twin boys Eddie and Jack. We met each other half way around the world in New Zealand, where we lived and worked for many years...and played irish music together (that's how we met)!

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We recognised fellow travellers from the ancient sea-faring Kingdom of Dalriada, which spans the North Coast of Co. Antrim, the Scottish Islands and part of the Scottish mainland.

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We made a conscious decision to return to this part of the world because we love and feel deeply connected to its breath-taking landscape, and to the culturally rich, but simple, life it offers. We wanted to be closer to family and to raise our young sons here. We wanted to start a new business, connected to the heritage of this area.

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Ruairidh always had a notion he'd like to have a salmon-smoking business. It seemed like the obvious next step after managing salmon farms, then working in fish pathology and biosecurity administration! 

Smoking food in New Zealand is relatively common.  Enthusiastic friends and dinner guests encouraged Ruairidh to believe that his home-smoked salmon was worth paying for.

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Melanie was keen for a change of lifestyle after working as a senior advisor for government departments for many years, and was determined to do something with dulse!

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And so, here we are - North Coast Smokehouse!