Members Spotlight: Secret Shebeen Supperclub, Wick

Meet David Buchanan, Founder of  Secret Shebeen Club in Wick, a new business fostering culinary fusion and local collaboration.

The Secret Shebeen Club is a unique culinary destination nestled in the heart of Wick, making its new home in the iconic Backstairs, which was once painted by Lowry, in the town’s historic harbour. It offers exclusive pop-up supper clubs that combine global flavours and local collaboration for an immersive and authentic dining experience. David Buchanan, the visionary behind this new venture shares his insights into its inspiration, philosophy, and aspirations. David has a rich background, having grown up in Wick and he honed his culinary skills in kitchens across 75+ countries with a noteworthy career working for private clients, celebrities, and royal families, bringing a wealth of global experience to this exciting new venture.

David, captivated by the Blackstairs was inspired to create The Secret Shebeen Club concept, drawing from his vast experience and the pop-up restaurant trend in London. The goal of this Supper Club is to combine immersive lifestyle experiences and his philosophy of collaboration, providing an experience that goes beyond just dining.

Can you describe the concept behind your business and what vision you have for the new venture?

We have a grand vision for the Secret Shebeen Club. We plan to offer unique dining experiences and provide a platform for collaboration and community. Our goal is to bring our enthusiasm, knowledge, and expertise to create a space that goes beyond just dining.

Growing up close by in Pultneytown, I have many fond memories of Caithness, which is a magical place. We want to take the best of what is on our doorstep and connect our guests with local artisan producers, farmers, and other talented individuals. We want to help these producers get access to top clients who are interested in their products but can’t navigate local markets or Facebook pages. We aim to add a degree of confidence and instil faith in small producers on the global stage.

In the future, we plan to expand our operations to cover retail, guided tours, and sea excursions, and continue to collaborate with local producers on supper club events. We will offer cookery school classes such as breadmaking and chocolate masterclasses and team-building events. Following renovation works we will open up our accommodation in the spring and our yoga studio will be open by the start of 2025.

What is your brand philosophy?

At the core of the Secret Shebeen Club is a commitment to connecting guests with local artisans, farmers, and producers. The vision is to bridge the gap between quality producers and clients, creating a global platform for small-scale businesses. The Supper Club incorporates seasonality, local producers, and exclusive products, ensuring a constantly evolving and sustainable menu.  I have championed Mey Select for 20 years and truly believe in the small-scale farming philosophy as the antidote to large-scale agriculture where animals are bred for profit and not for quality.

We aspire to support local artists, musicians, and clubs, providing a platform for events and community. Collaboration is at the forefront of our vision, with a commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent across Caithness.

What is your signature cooking style, and what ingredients and flavours do you most like creating with?

I am passionate about sourcing the best quality and suitable ingredients from all over the world. In 2018, we established Vanillaism, which is the only rainforest-to-fork organic vanilla producer. Since then, we have been planting, growing, curing, and selling 100% organic vanilla beans in Bali and across Indonesia. We also provide practical, ethical, educational, and financial support to our farmers and their communities. We operate on a non-profit model and reinvest our profits to help empower communities to develop tourism and enterprise and work their way out of poverty.

As a vanilla grower, I use it a lot, but often in savoury cooking more so than in sweets. Vanilla has a complex series of volatiles, eugenols, and compounds that we are all familiar with, but Vanilla is the most intoxicating scent compound.

Caithness Chamber members can join David for an exclusive networking event on the 24^th May, for booking and further information contact fiona@caithnesschamber.com

Find Secret Shebean Supperclub on Facebook.

GMG Energy the rapidly expanding Highland timber products specialist which contributes significantly to the circular economy in the Highlands and the Northern Isles, is set to play a bigger role in Scotland’s construction sector.

The Halladale-based business has seen three of its senior employees, including Director Malcolm Morrison, secure visual softwood structural grading credentials which qualifies the company to supply builders and joinery businesses with the stress tested timber used in housing and commercial property construction projects.

Mr Morrison said: “As a result of securing these credentials, GMG Energy can now stress test

wood to reach the highest building standards This, in turn, will lead us into supplying market demand for structural timber from joiners, builders and architects not only in the North of Scotland but throughout the country.

“We are now accredited to apply a unique stamp on specific timber products we manufacture to assure potential customers of its quality and fitness for construction projects.”

Alongside Mr Morrison, GMG Energy’s sawmill manager, Vasile Damian and his deputy, Adrian Cegielka, also underwent and passed an onsite five-days visual grading of softwood certification training and test challenge set by accredited training supplier, bmtrada.

“I’m delighted that all three of us passed our softwood structural grading test at the first attempt. The pass mark is 80 per cent and at £1350+ VAT each to undertake the course it’s a significant investment in training for a growing business like ours”, Mr Morrison added.

Mr Damian said: “Essentially we were taught how to identify four grades of timber: c14 and c18 are lower grades so do not take as much load-bearing weight, c16 is for general use for a house but has limits, while c24 is of a higher quality that can bear more weight and is used in critical structural situations.

“Obtaining the qualification is an important step for us as a company because it opens the door for us to more high-quality work within the construction sector.”

GMG Energy this year invested £150,000 in state-of-the-art sawmill equipment which takes its larger timber and processes it into posts, rail, cladding and purlins, or structural roof members.

It has also recently spent in the region of £100,000 on timber treatment equipment to help open up new markets among construction companies and farm businesses which require treated and stress-tested products.

As a major plank of its business model, the company is committed to replacing every log of timber that it uses, and plants 10,000 new trees a year, which grow to maturity in 35 years. It far exceeded this target in 2021, planting in the region of 20,000 trees.

Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) a consortium involving DEME, Qair and Aspiravi, has submitted the onshore scoping report for its Ayre Offshore Wind Farm to The Highland Council. This is the first of a series of consenting milestones for TWP’s two ScotWind projects in 2024.

TWP’s Ayre project, located to the east of Orkney, will be a 1GW floating wind farm, contributing to the UK and Scottish Government’s targets for accelerating floating wind capacity. Through its local supply chain targets, TWP supports Scotland and the wider UK in developing exportable goods and services for the global floating wind sector.

This week’s submission of the onshore scoping report for the Ayre project is an important first milestone towards the required onshore planning permission for the project. The report outlines the onshore infrastructure needed for the project and the approach to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which will support the submission for Planning Permission in Principle, targeted for early 2025.

The project’s grid connection point will be in Caithness, near the village of Spittal, with a landfall point at Sinclair’s Bay, all connected by underground cables. In 2023, the project team began community engagement in the region through a series of community and supply chain events in Caithness and neighbouring Orkney.

TWP anticipates returning to Caithness with further information on the locations of the substation, landfall and cables in the second quarter of this year in order to seek further feedback from the community.

Upcoming project milestones in 2024

TWP’s two ScotWind projects are on track to achieve a series of consenting and engineering milestones this year.

The offshore scoping report for Ayre is due to be submitted in spring 2024. For the Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm, which is a 1GW fixed-foundation project off the coast of Aberdeenshire, both onshore and offshore scoping reports are scheduled for submission this summer.

The pre-FEEDS (Front-End Engineering Designs) for both projects are underway.

Ian Taylor, Project Director at TWP, said: “Despite the projects facing a series of challenges over the course of 2023, they remain on track. We have navigated a way through these difficult times in the offshore wind sector thanks to active collaboration with the group of ScotWind developers and government agencies. The way we have pulled together in 2023 is breaking new ground for the energy sector and gives us great confidence in the future.”

GMG Energy’s sawmill manager Vasile Damian.

GMG Energy, the rapidly expanding Highland timber products specialist which contributes significantly to the circular economy in the Highlands and the Northern Isles, is set to play a bigger role in Scotland’s construction sector.

The Halladale-based business has seen three of its senior employees, including Director Malcolm Morrison, secure visual softwood structural grading credentials which qualifies the company to supply builders and joinery businesses with the stress tested timber used in housing and commercial property construction projects.

Mr Morrison said: “As a result of securing these credentials, GMG Energy can now stress test wood to reach the highest building standards This, in turn, will lead us into supplying market demand for structural timber from joiners, builders and architects not only in the North of Scotland but throughout the country.

“We are now accredited to apply a unique stamp on specific timber products we manufacture to assure potential customers of its quality and fitness for construction projects.”

Alongside Mr Morrison, GMG Energy’s sawmill manager, Vasile Damian and his deputy, Adrian Cegielka, also underwent and passed an onsite five-days visual grading of softwood certification training and test challenge set by accredited training supplier, bmtrada.

“I’m delighted that all three of us passed our softwood structural grading test at the first attempt. The pass mark is 80 per cent and at £1350+ VAT each to undertake the course it’s a significant investment in training for a growing business like ours”, Mr Morrison added.

Mr Damian said: “Essentially we were taught how to identify four grades of timber: c14 and c18 are lower grades so do not take as much load-bearing weight, c16 is for general use for a house but has limits, while c24 is of a higher quality that can bear more weight and is used in critical structural situations.

“Obtaining the qualification is an important step for us as a company because it opens the door for us to more high-quality work within the construction sector.”

GMG Energy this year invested £150,000 in state-of-the-art sawmill equipment which takes its larger timber and processes it into posts, rail, cladding and purlins, or structural roof members.

It has also recently spent in the region of £100,000 on timber treatment equipment to help open up new markets among construction companies and farm businesses which require treated and stress-tested products.

As a major plank of its business model, the company is committed to replacing every log of timber that it uses, and plants 10,000 new trees a year, which grow to maturity in 35 years. It far exceeded this target in 2021, planting in the region of 20,000 trees.

With the new website launched for the UK’s only independent SMR development company – Community Nuclear Power Limited – it is with great pride that Prima Uno’s Sarah Purdham has been named part of the team for the company. Community Nuclear Power Limited is the UK’s only independent Small Modular Reactor (SMR) development company. Community Nuclear Power Limited brings decades of nuclear development and regulatory experience together with private investors. SMR technology is essential to meeting the need for clean energy. They are flexible, investable, and the technology is well understood.

There are several sites identified in Cumberland, the Northeast and other parts of the UK. These projects will support and enable long-term and sustainable development in the regions where they are situated. They will attract inward investment to the UK and support regional growth and the creation of local jobs and skills needed to support this emerging power sector.

Prima Uno will open the doors of its Centre of Excellence to work alongside Community Nuclear Power Limited to grow our younger generation in developing the tools, skills and experience needed for this new clean energy power sector. Prima Uno has a well-established training centre and training materials along with subject matter experts in estimating, planning, risk management and project management that will act as mentors to ensure our trainees develop best practise skills and that we leave a legacy and footprint for every region where the Community Nuclear Power sites are located. For more information on Community Nuclear Power Limited please visit the interim website where you can look at the projects  and also meet the team.

Prima Uno is a Cumbrian based award-winning consultancy and APM Corporate Affiliate.
We operate in numerous sectors including nuclear, civil and infrastructure, rail, utilities, aviation, transport, oil and gas, local authority offering services in the following:

• Project Controls (estimating, cost engineering, planning and risk);
• Assurance on projects and programmes;
• Project Management;
• Programme Management;
• Portfolio, Programme and Project Assurance using best practise techniques such as P3M3 methodology, IPA and APM Independent Project Reviews, Maturity Assessments and Transformation support;
• In-House Risk Management Department;
• Forensic Schedule, Cost, Risk and Business Intelligence Laboratory; and,
• Centre of Excellence for Project Controls Development operating since 2014.

Meet John Baikie, multi-award-winning photographer and filmmaker whose accomplished career has taken him across the world, shooting in breathtaking locations and working alongside premium brands; capturing people and telling their narratives through his own unique visual lens.

With his heart rooted in his North Highland home, John Baikie, the Caithnesian creative has brought his focus back towards his roots, returning his attention to helping to promote businesses and success stories in the North Highland region. With an ever-increasing move towards video in marketing and visual storytelling, John’s perspective, lived experiences and in-depth local knowledge of the North Highlands help offer a new approach to documentary storytelling in the commercial world.

What is your speciality or niche within the industry?

Spending my life in the North Highlands has given me inspiration to be creative. The landscapes and people here are very special. There are so many stories out there which need to be told, and I think, there is a trend in the Highlands to underplay success. So many businesses and people in the region are doing amazing things, often taken for granted or played down. I have worked on some projects which nobody knows about, yet we are talking about groundbreaking stuff. This is where I come in. My passion is for telling stories, be that through moving or still images, or sometimes both. I love to create documentary-style films, and they can show the personality and ethos of a business.

How do you stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in your field?

I was entirely self-taught as a photographer, beginning my creative career in 1997, but I was eager to learn and travelled the UK and overseas attending seminars and workshops to improve my skills. My filmmaking started in a similar vein, but I recently completed a four-year BA honours degree with UHI and am currently working through a Master’s in filmmaking. This has really helped me to progress at a much faster rate. I have a passion for learning and constantly push to be better at what I do. I have also completed drone training courses and can commercially fly these, which is another great perspective to add to films. In this industry, it is important to constantly invest in training and equipment.

How do you approach pricing and packaging your services?

One thing I do which has been popular is to offer ongoing packages, where businesses can save money on creating content by booking for monthly or bi-monthly sessions. It takes a lot of pressure off businesses knowing they have high-quality content being created without too much involvement. I like to think my film production is very competitively priced and will come up with bespoke solutions to suit all budgets.

Can you describe your workflow from initial client contact to project delivery?

The filmmaking/video production side of the business is very bespoke. I work extensively with clients on the pre-production elements, to ensure we are on the same page, and to ensure the video production is a smooth process. This usually involves creating a brief and laying out a very specific plan. Quality and customer satisfaction are hugely important to me. It is great to build up a working relationship with clients, where you begin to really understand each other, and feel part of that business and truly invested in their progress.

What’s ahead for your business and career?

My MA in filmmaking will bring a whole new level of skills and knowledge to the business and increase the production value of every project. The goal is to spend my time showcasing Caithness and the North Highlands; and build up a body of work showcasing the area, the place, the people, and the inspiring stories which I come across almost daily. I am passionate about documentary films and have a few personal projects which are ticking along in the background too.

johnbaikie.co.uk

 

With both climate change and the recent slashing of government funding to the culture sector continuing to make the headlines, Culture & Business Scotland will be hosting a Members’ Forum focussing on how sustainability strategies can be incorporated into culture organisations.

Taking place on Thursday 26 October at the National Museum of Scotland, the Forum will unite members for a series of presentations, success stories and sustainability strategies, with the aim of fostering collaboration and initiating a dialogue around environmental issues ahead of the launch of COP28 next month.

The cross-sector event will be attended by representatives from businesses of a range of sizes and geographical backgrounds, facilitating networking opportunities as well as providing a platform for businesses to forge connections with culture sector organisations and secure creative solutions to challenges within their practices.

The event will also feature speakers from across the industry, who will be sharing insights into how sustainability can be embedded within culture organisations’ practices.

Dr Ben Twist, Director of Creative Carbon Scotland, will compare the different ways that arts councils are addressing climate change, while Scott Mackay, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Scottish Youth Film Foundation, will showcase COP TV, a project aimed at amplifying the voices of Scotland’s youth in the context of the crucial COP event.

Meanwhile Hannah Schlesinger, Director of Development & Marketing at Edinburgh Science, will discuss The NetZeroToolkit, a product of the organisation’s Climate Co-Lab initiative, designed to help businesses reduce their carbon emissions. Ruth Gill, Director of Public Programmes at National Museums Scotland, will also introduce the event and give a presentation on how the museum is progressing on its quest for Net Zero.

David Nelson, Head of Development and Programmes at Culture & Business Scotland, said: “The significance of ‘sustainability’ in the culture sector is huge. Incorporating sustainability strategies within our practices should be at the forefront of all our minds as the climate crisis worsens, and our Members’ Forum is set to create a dialogue around how best to do that.

“With funding to culture organisations under threat, it’s also crucial that we maximise opportunities to build strong and sustainable relationships between the culture and business sectors. Amongst the many benefits of membership to Culture & Business Scotland is the chance to access these networks and build innovative solutions to the challenges we’re currently facing, as an industry and as a society”.

Individuals interested in attending the Members’ Forum can find out more about Culture & Business Scotland membership here: https://www.cultureandbusiness.scot/members/.

Businesses across Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney aiming to enter the rapidly expanding offshore renewable energy sector can apply to a regional Fit For Offshore Renewables (F4OR) programme for the first time today (12th September 2023).

The industry leading F4OR supply chain growth programme will be delivered by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, and supported by £125,000 from offshore wind developer, the West of Orkney Windfarm.

F4OR Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney will provide up to seven companies with the opportunity to take part in the rigorous 12-18 month development programme, designed alongside offshore wind industry experts, and focused on improving business readiness for the offshore renewable energy market.

Davood Sabaei, F4OR Programme Manager at ORE Catapult, said: “We are excited to be launching our first ever F4OR programme in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney, and we look forward to working alongside local companies on their journey towards success in offshore renewables. It is also fantastic to have endorsement and support from offshore wind developer, the West of Orkney Windfarm, as part of this programme.

“F4OR Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney will build on the success of five F4OR regional programmes delivered by ORE Catapult in the North East of Scotland, North East of England, East Anglia and Suffolk, alongside national programmes run across Scotland and UK-wide, with over 100 companies supported. Participating companies experience an average 28% increase in turnover, and many have gone on to secure a wide range of new contracts.”

Last year, the ScotWind leasing auction created a multi-million pound opportunity for offshore renewable energy projects around the Scottish coastline.

Stephen Kerr, West of Orkney Windfarm Project Director, said: “We’ve been engaging with businesses and organisations in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney for a number of years, and although construction of ScotWind projects will not ramp up until the latter half of this decade, early engagement with the local supply chain is critical. Participation in this F4OR programme will equip forward-looking firms with the attributes they need to compete successfully for future contracts.

“The West of Orkney Windfarm has already committed to a £105 million investment initiative that will be enhanced to £140 million by third parties to support the offshore wind supply chain locally, in Scotland and across the UK ahead of a Final Investment Decision in 2026.”

JGC Engineering and Technical Services, based in Caithness, previously took part in a F4OR pilot programme.

Stephen Sutherland, Director of JGC, said: “JGC already had a presence in the offshore renewables market with some key industry leaders. However, as we were transitioning from existing markets into this new marketplace, we wanted to demonstrate to prospective clients we had the standards in place required to supply within these new and upcoming markets.

“For JGC, the programme did help us focus on areas we had not focused previously, which has also helped. What F4OR does is give your business a standard that you can market against within the renewables sector, giving prospective clients confidence in the standards you work to within your business.”

Applications are encouraged from established companies, with products or skills that are relevant to the offshore wind sector. To find out more information, go to F4OR and to apply, fill out an expression of interest form here: F4OR – ORE (catapult.org.uk)

Companies have until Tuesday 31 October to express their interest in taking part in F4OR Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney. The programme will start in December 2023.

• The West of Orkney Windfarm and ORE Catapult will attend a multi-developer supply chain event at the Robert Rendall Building, Franklin Road, Stromness, Orkney from 9am on Tuesday, September 12, hosted by Orkney Islands Council.
• On Thursday, September 14, West of Orkney Windfarm will also host a supply chain event at the Pentland Hotel in Thurso, in partnership with Caithness Chamber of Commerce where local businesses can meet members the project team.

Left to Right: Nigel Scott (Denchi Group CEO) and Emma Thomson (High Life Highland’s highlife Development Manager) shake hands at Inverness Leisure to announce corporate membership deal

Thanks to recently taking out a corporate deal, Denchi employees across the Highlands now have discounted access to all High Life Highland leisure facilities.

Emma Thomson, High Life Highland’s highlife Development Manager, said: “High Life Highland is excited to be partnering with Denchi to support the health and wellbeing of their staff by giving them access to the many leisure facilities, and hundreds of activities taking place every week across the Highlands.

“Denchi is the most recent in a growing number of Highland businesses I am working with to arrange corporate membership access for their staff. To have yet another high-profile Highland business joining our corporate membership is a brilliant step forward.

“Staff health and wellbeing is becoming one of the highest priorities for responsible employers and I’d be more than happy to have discussions about how High Life Highland can support businesses to, in turn, support their staff.

“It is important to note that High Life Highland’s corporate membership offering does have the option to include staff family members – an extra perk to ensure that staff are getting the most value out of their membership.”

Nigel Scott, Denchi Group’s CEO, added: “At Denchi, the health and wellness of employees is a high priority. We want to encourage our staff to make healthy lifestyle choices which create a positive work environment, improve morale, and keep people focused.

“Several support systems are already in place, including a ‘Wecare’ 24/7 support network giving access to GPs, mental health support, an online get-fit programme, and financial guidance support.

“Signing up to subsidise staff membership with High Life Highland – for individuals and families – is the next step in supporting staff health and wellness.

“High Life Highland has a fantastic range of sports facilities, lessons, and fitness sessions. With High Life Highland, there are additional benefits and discounts through member access to fitness facilities across Scotland and discounts to many local and national companies.

“It feels like the right thing to do for the company and its Workforce. Signing up for the corporate membership is easy and straightforward, and High Life Highland are there to help every step of the way.”

Steve Walsh, High Life Highland’s Chief Executive, concluded: “More than ever in this post-pandemic world, it is important to prioritise and look after the health and wellbeing of staff, another reason High Life Highland is delighted to have Denchi on board with the corporate membership offering.

“As a charity with the core aim of making lives better, High Life Highland hopes to see more Highland organisations signing up for corporate memberships so that their staff can take full advantage of the discounted access to leisure facilities and other benefits the highlife membership offers.”

For any businesses interested in offering their employees discounted access to all of High Life Highland’s leisure facilities, please contact Emma Thomson on the following email address: emma.thomson@highlifehighland.com