David was born in Pittenweem, a small fishing village nestled on the east coast of Scotland. Growing up surrounded by the sea, he always knew he wanted to be part of the fishing trade – just like the family had been for generations.

As soon as he turned 16, in 1983, he left school and joined his father at work. He owned a wholesale fish merchant business, where, he would come to learn the fundamentals of the trade.

His father also David taught him how to select the finest quality of fish and seafood across markets in the region. And, also made sure he understood the importance of efficient and honest customer service. At the same time, the older generations of fish merchants in our family showed him how to fillet all types of fish in the most cost effective way for our customers. Of course, they also made sure I knew the secret to tasty smoked fish made using traditional kilns.

At the time, the fishing industry was booming in Pittenweem and large amounts of haddock and other varieties of fish and seafood would land daily on its harbour.  But in 1987, the industry began to decline. Boats, forced to go further out from the coast to fish, began landing their catches in Aberdeen and Peterhead.

Despite this David saw the potential for growth, and in 1988, after five years of training, he bought his first fish van. After setting up David Lowrie Fish Merchants, he began purchasing filleted haddock, supplying fish and chip shops along the Scottish east coast.

Today, 27 years on, David Lowrie Fish Merchants has grown substantially. It is a team of seven dedicated staff and five modern and fully refrigerated vehicles based in St. Monans in the East Neuk of Fife.

In our purpose built facility, we process, store and distribute the very best of Scottish seafood across Scotland to award winning fish and chip shops, restaurants and hotels.

David Lowrie Fish Merchants remains a family business as both his brother Edward and son Lewis continue working alongside him continuously working to improve and grow the business.