MadeInScotland: Welcome
MADE in Scotland has been a proud boast for centuries and rightly so, as the country has a longstanding reputation for specialist crafts and hand skills alongside a willingness to embrace innovation and development.
Many of these skills have been passed through the generations, with food and drink in particular reflecting recipes and preparation techniques almost unchanged over the years.
It’s a similar story with crafts, where the emphasis has always been on retaining authenticity, especially where the traditional is superior in quality to mass or cheaply produced goods.
Many of these skills were born out of day to day needs, such as producing food, furniture, clothing and housewares, with some specific to a particular area or region.
Local materials as well as needs, work and hobbies informed many of these developments and over time, sometimes purely practical items were designed to be as elegant as they were functional, allowing them to slip easily into modern life. Fashions change, trends develop and in this digital age there are constant inventions and re-inventions, but this is something Scotland is at ease with.
Over the years many wonderful inventions have come out of this country, revolutionising industry, science, technology and medicine. That appetite for change and the urge to discover more are very Scottish traits, yet we also know how to cherish traditions, recognise quality and value craftsmanship, with quite stunning results. Naturally we benefit from our backdrop, with the stunning Scottish scenery influencing construction and interior design, while the country’s unspoilt environment and constant climate means we have the ideal conditions to produce superb, high quality food, with beef, lamb, game, dairy produce, fruit and vegetables which are among the best in the world. There is a strong awareness of how important it is to retain traditional knowledge and skills and pass them to the next generation, particularly in the whisky industry. Many Scottish businesses have achieved the perfect balancing act of retaining the traditional production skills while harnessing all the benefits of the latest technology. Our remaining crafts are seen as increasingly precious, as consumers understand just how much Scotland has to offer.