Putting the 'Pans' Back in The Pans

Nice Slogan, but Lots Still to Do!

Stephen Fraser, a freelance journo for The Scotsman has been wanting to tell the tale of the feasibility studies that Scott Taylor and Anthony Gillingham have been leading these past 18 months, with liaison at Preston Lodge School with Iain Stewart, Head of Science. All driven along by the Baron with his professional background in marketing.

The goal is straightfoward enough. To make sea salt again in the Pans and sell it globally as a boutique product. The first question has been a technical one. Can we do it with waters from the Forth? The answer is a rsounding "Yes"; we can make it, and the waters of the Forth are clean enough after a good cycle of filtration. But the real issue for investors, the profitability of the enterprise, absolutely depends on finding distributors and that is not an easy task. However, good progress is being made.

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Glasshouse Tourism + ecofriendly Energy are a Viable Deam

If Pans Sea salt is to be a winner it needs to look a winner. And to this end the plans for its production verge on a theatrical presentation. A glasshouse is called for set upon a pier out over the waters of the Forth. This both avoids pumping water overland to a dreary [although cheaper] warehouse, and also provides a contribution from solar energy to assist evaporation. And that solar energy plus the windpower so readily available hereabouts are the keys to successful production. That is because the energy to boil the sea water with just a 3% salt content is the major ongoing production expense and as it is minimised the break even costs fall.

Engineers and architects have done their work; the official salt test analyses have come up well. Once the global distribution system is in place an investment of £650,000 by venture capitalists will see sea salt making back in town - meaning Pans in the Pans again.