Artisan salt makers shut up shop after ‘fake’ probe
IT quickly became a must-have ingredient in the country’s top kitchens.
But only months after announcing lucrative supermarket deals and expansion plans, Hebridean Sea Salt appears to have stopped trading.
The Isle of Lewis company is under investigation over the authenticity of the ‘hand-harvested’ product.
Now The Scottish Mail on Sunday can reveal the award-winning firm has shut up shop and could face legal action to recover thousands of pounds of public funding. Highlands and
‘Grants may be partly or fully recoverable’
Islands Enterprise (HIE) has given Hebridean Sea Salt £147,405 in grants over the past five years.
HIE confirmed yesterday the ‘grants may be partly or fully recoverable if the recipient ceases to trade’.
The firm, owned by mother-of-three Natalie Crayton, 35, also received assistance from the Prince’s Trust and the Scottish Edge entrepreneurial fund, plus £180,000 from private investors and the Bank of Scotland.
Western Isles Council environmental health officers contacted Miss Crayton in February after a former employee alleged the product was bulked out with salt from Israel.
Investigators seized salt and have been interviewing staff and suppliers. The firm removed from its labelling a claim stating ‘nothing added’. The MoS visited the company premises at Loch Erisort last week but the unit was closed. Neighbours said there had been no activity for the past month. The Hebridean Sea Salt Facebook and Twitter pages have been shut and the website shop is ‘unavailable’.
Last year, Miss Crayton announced partnerships with Sainsbury’s and Co-op but the supermarkets confirmed they no longer stock the salt.
One stockist in Stornoway, Lewis, said: ‘From what I have heard she has ceased trading because of the investigation. It is a shame because the salts were very popular.’
Approached at home, Miss Crayton said: ‘I have not really stopped trading. I might well sell the business.’
She said in March her company had done nothing wrong and was following ‘industry practice’. Western Isles Council said the inquiry was ongoing.