Good food and service obviously begin with getting the right ingredients, but just as importantly it requires doing the right thing to get those ingredients. As such we try to buy ethically and responsibly throughout our entire business activities, from the food in the kitchen to the toiletries you'll find in your bedrooms and the paper we use in the office. It is also reflected in our employment practices within the hotel, our financial and banking arrangements and of course the business and proprietors' commitment to small island life and support of community endeavours.
Doing the right thing can often be a strenuous undertaking, especially since it entails a profound knowledge of where your food and materials come from and how both products and producers are treated. For the past ten years we have been constantly reviewing our suppliers and their wares, as well as building long term relationships with local farmers, producers, and suppliers. Throughout this time we have strongly supported Fairtrade branded products, especially within the regular everyday purchasing of the business. As well as the obvious Teas, Coffees and sugars we utilise all manner of fairly traded whole foods, nuts, and spices. We have also sought to expand the Fairtrade ethos locally, and on Iona we are thankfully not unique in our outlook; In 2008 Iona achieved the status of a Fairtrade Island, with the majority of the local businesses striving to use and promote the ethic of responsible trade and purchasing.
Of course ensuring that primary suppliers receive the best of returns does not just apply to the purchasing of branded products such as fresh vanilla from Madagasca; it is also very much concerned with local farmers and producers on our doorstep. For instance we source our mutton from Ardalanish Farm on Mull, who specialise in native Hebridean Black Sheep and organic Hebridean cattle. We buy directly from the farm and utilise the local community slaughter house for the processing and cutting of the meat. Not only does the farm receive a better return than the normal market value, but the beasts themselves travel only but a short distance, and the added value of processing and sale stays within the local community. We have similar arrangements with other local produces for pork, cheese, eggs and of course shellfish.
For us the Fairly Traded ethos also encompasses what type of meat we use in the restaurant. We do not used battery farmed chicken or eggs, and we much prefer to know that our mutton has had at least a couple of years on the Argyll hillsides rather than intensively reared lamb that is but a few months old. We are also lucky to have the wonders of the local game season which not only produces the best of wild venison, but also pheasant, grouse and rabbit; all of which are shot and processed with the maximum of returns to the local economy.
Having said all this, the Argyll is not a perfect Fair Trade enterprise, since there are still many necessary items that we cannot pretend to be from ethically sources. The likes of Coca Cola, Tennants Lager, and some of our more toxic but statutory cleaning materials can hardly be held up as icons of the ethical world. Similarly there are considerable compromises to be made in deciding the appropriateness of competing sources and ethical values; such as the strong debates regarding food miles versus ethical production. Is it better to buy something that is local, organic and mass produced or is it better to buy something ethically traded from developing countries desperate for foreign exports? The answer can only reside in trying to learn as much as possible about your suppliers and trying to make a fair and pragmatic attempt to "do the right thing". If this means stocking branded soft drinks and beer, because customer demand is too high to commercially ignore, then it is important to also stock more appropriate alternatives such as local Heather Ale. In terms of the necessities of health and hygiene requiring anti-bacterial agents in the kitchen, then it's a case of using them sparingly and in conjunction with natural citrus based products.
This route of ethical best practice also applies to key aspects of the business's management, both at the strategic and the day to day level. In tracing the path of money through the Argyll the biggest net earners are the bank with which we hold our long term mortgage, and of course our staff which work in the hotel. In terms of finance therefore we have opted for an ethical investment bank called Triodos, which certainly does not hold interests in Peruvian coal mines or dodgy multinational conglomerates. (It did not trade in sub-prime mortgages and speculative hedge funds for that matter either). Instead it restricts itself to green and ethical business like ourselves and actively seeks to promote local and community enterprises.
In terms of our employment practice we begin with a fair and appropriate wage for the staff's endeavours, combined with flexible working practices, paid overtime and the completely even split of all gratuities. We also undertake considerable internal and external training programs, and overtly seek to help our employees develop their skills, qualifications and abilities. We maintain a very convivial and trust based working atmosphere, where regular meetings and monthly reviews allow staff to constantly contribute and assist in the development of the hotel. You will not find a Gordon Ramsey barking and swearing at his underlings in the kitchen; instead you will find a relatively young, happy and above all attentive service. The returns to the business of a contented and appreciated staff are of course essential to maintaining the Fairly Traded ethos, since the staff develop a strong affinity to the goals of the business, the quality of what they do and the importance of doing the right thing.
Links
Triodos Bank - http://www.triodos.co.uk/uk/
Isle of Mull Cheese - http://www.isleofmullcheese.co.uk/
Fairtrade - http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
Purdies Scottish Soap - http://www.purdies.org/
Fyfe Diet - http://fifediet.co.uk/
Ardalanish Organic Farm - http://www.ardalanish.com/
GreenCity Wholefoods - http://www.greencity.co.uk/
