The sky is the limit for John and Bruno

Rural and coastal communities across Scotland are renowned for their self-sufficiency and resilience. And Mowi is proud to support those communities in any way it can. One such example is its support of Isle of Skye Smokehouse and, most recently, the support of owner John’s dog, Bruno!

Mowi has provided salmon to Isle of Skye Smokehouse since it was started by John Corfield nine years ago. A former chef, previously working at the Ritz and Gordon Ramsay’s three Michelin star restaurant in Chelsea, John relocated to Skye where he relit his passion for cooking and started smoking salmon.

Being a fledging, one-man-band business, crafting smoked salmon from a small, traditional smoker, John found it challenging to source smaller quantities of salmon from big producers. His first order of just three salmon was provided by Mowi, seeing the promise of John and his product.

“I’m very lucky on Skye that I’ve got quite a lot of fish farms – literally there is one around the corner – so I’ve got produce on my doorstep. And I’m very lucky that I’ve got such a good supply and relationship with Mowi and now I’m selling to lots of restaurants on Skye,” John explains.

From the beginning of the business to its hardest times, John credits Mowi with enabling him to get the business back off the ground during Covid. Having had to mothball the business when restaurants were forced to closed, Mowi sponsored John and supplied him with salmon which was smoked and provided to all NHS care homes on Skye free of charge.

So, when the next opportunity arose, John again came to Mowi to help him make it a reality.

John welcomed dog Bruno, a Cane Corso, into his life following the sad passing of his dog Ernie and knew he would have to spend a lot of time training and enriching him. Starting off training in scent work and building his skills from there, it was clear that Bruno was a natural.

Knowing that Bruno was quick to learn, John wanted to put him to good use and went to meet a dog trainer with knowledge of different disciplines who recommended that Bruno might be a good water cadaver dog. From there, Bruno and John began specialist training with UK-K9 Training for Excellence under the supervision of David Jones, working towards the NASDU Level 3 Water Cadaver accreditation – the only water cadaver accreditation recognised by UK police.

Once qualified, Bruno will be able to assist police and search teams by locating human remains in waters, helping bring answers and closure to the families of missing people. Water cadaver search dogs are a highly specialised resource, with only a small number currently operational in Scotland.

To enable Bruno to carry out this important work, John would need equipment, including an inflatable catamaran and specialist search equipment, allowing Bruno to work safely and effectively on inland and coastal waters.

“It was then that Mowi generously stepped in and sponsored me so I’m very grateful for that,” John explains.

“It’s incredibly rewarding for both of us. Bruno absolutely loves the work – although the salmon rewards probably help! Watching him develop and use his natural ability has been amazing and I’m really excited to see Bruno doing some important work in the community.”

Jayne MacKay, Community Engagement Officer at Mowi Scotland, adds: “We have been working with John since 2019 and were only too happy to help support Bruno with his specialist water cadaver search training and with the purchase of the inflatable catamaran.

“As Bruno continues his journey towards operational status, Mowi is proud to have played a part in supporting a project that could one day help families, communities and emergency services across Scotland. Good boy, Bruno!”

Check out videos from Salmon Scotland about John’s journey with Isle of Skye Smokehouse here and Bruno here.