Fraser Balgowan

They want to take authentic Scottish luxury to the world. But first they need to grab the world's attention.

Fraser Balgowan were frustrated by the difficulty of sourcing quality Scottish products. They set out to become a single source of luxury food, drink and textiles.

Within months of set-up, they had received support via Scottish Development International (SDI), GlobalScot and the Scottish Enterprise (SE) Textiles Team to source the right home-based products and materials, and to present to prestigious US retailers.

“We see the GlobalScot network as continuing to be hugely important to us as we expand" – Fiona Fraser, Co-owner, Fraser Balgowan

The company

Fraser Balgowan are a husband and wife team, Fiona and Ewan Fraser. They established Fraser Balgowan with the aim of bringing authentic, luxury Scottish food, drink and gifts to the market. Besides sourcing the best Scottish products, they also plan to create their own range of luxury goods.

First steps

Fraser Balgowan wanted to offer luxury items that showcased the best of Scottish heritage and craftsmanship – from salmon, venison and truffles to tweed, cashmere and leather.

Besides sourcing products from all over Scotland, they decided to establish their own range.

“We first got in touch with Scottish Enterprise because we needed help to research and develop the textiles side of our business,” says Fiona Fraser. “We’ve had lots of help from SE’s Textiles Team in terms of sourcing high-quality Scottish materials for our new luxury goods collection.”

Moving forwards

Fraser Balgowan has also been able to tap into the power of networks. Through GlobalScots’ database of prominent Scots worldwide, the company was put in touch with hand-picked contacts who could offer useful tips.

One of them, Maeve Gillies, is the founder of New York jewellery designer MaeVona. When the request for help reached her, she happened to be staying in Scotland and travelled to Laggan the next day to meet Fiona.

“She gave us great advice about presenting ourselves and our brand in the American market,” says Fiona.

“Through GlobalScots we’ve also been in touch with the news editor for Vogue, who advised on developing our brand in terms of heritage. A man who does a lot of business in Russia offered to take some of our product out there. We also had advice from other GlobalScots on developing the brand, and on legal issues.”

Looking ahead with SDI and GlobalScot

In November 2011 Fiona Fraser joined a trade mission to the US. Thanks to contacts secured through the Textiles Team, she met the director of luxury brands at Saks Fifth Avenue, who offered an evaluation of her collection.

Fraser Balgowan are now honing their export strategy by embarking on the Smart Exporter and Preparing to export programmes through SDI.

Fiona also hopes to call on more GlobalScots for further support: “We see the GlobalScot network as continuing to be hugely important to us as we expand. The most valuable part of this dialogue is that it’s feedback from people who are actually doing business. There’s no bureaucracy or form-filling; it’s a direct, practical conversation.”

Find out how the GlobalScot network can help you get connected with the international business community

Read more about Fraser Balgowan's big ambitions to go global on Scottish Enterprise's website

Fraser Balgowan website