Granite City Fish: Meet the Aberdeen family hooked on customers and community for 67 years

Stalwarts of the seafood industry, the well-known Aberdeen family have been providing the local community with fresh ‘fash’ for the past 67 years.

Salt of the earth in every sense of the word, Edward, 65, (known as Ed) and his grown-up children Tash, 31, and Nathan, 27, are everything a family business should be: deeply passionate, professional and genuinely caring towards their legions of loyal customers.

In fact, within minutes of meeting them at their Poynernook Road shop, I can see why their business has remained buoyant for nearly seven decades as they chat to me like I’m an old family friend.

Hook, line, and family…

In this deep dive of an interview, I go behind the fish counter to find out everything about this popular family and how they’ve kept their heads way above the water for generations.

“What I love about the job is that it has probably moulded my personality and character over the years,” says Nathan.

“Working with the public, building up relationships but trying to make people happy whether that’s providing them with fresh fish that they love (or struggle to get elsewhere), or if it’s giving them 10 minutes of conversation each day or week.

“But what I probably love most is the family feel.”

A reel legacy since 1959…

The Granite City Fish tale begins with Ed’s mum Gina who opened up a fish business with her friend Cathy Adams back in 1959.

“They decided that they would start their own business because they were good filleters,” explains Ed.

“So they took on number 6 arch Palmerston Road and called their business Fletcher and Adams.

“At the time, it was very unusual for women to be fish merchants as it was very male-orientated industry.”

After being paid off from the oil industry in his twenties, Ed joined the business.

“I went home and said to my mum ‘well that’s it, I’m paid off, I’m going to take some time off’,” says Ed.

“My mother just took a hold of me by the sleeve and said ‘would you like to help us?’.

Sink or swim…

Thrown in at the deep end, Ed took a while to find his feet in the cut-throat fish industry but eventually became an expert in the trade.

“At the time, I couldn’t fillet so one day I just said ‘right mum, get me a pair of wellies, I’ll see if I can fillet a fish’,” says Ed.

“I’ll never forget my mum’s face as she said’ that’s all I wanted to hear you say son’.

“She wanted me to do it of my own free will.

“And 40 years on, I’m still here.”

Over the years, Ed turned his hand to everything from making fish cakes, helping out in the factory and delivering fish to their shops in Perth, Forfar and Carnoustie which have since closed.

Many years later, the family business became Granite City Fish and they moved to their current premises at Poynernook Road.

Casting her first lines at 14…

From a young age, both Tash and Nathan helped out with the business especially at a market in Belmont Street.

“Tash was about 14 when she started helping me,” says Ed.

“It was a very busy market and in those days everyone paid by cash so that was Tash’s first experience and we smashed it.

“After that Tash was at every Saturday market and Nathan wasn’t far behind as he was about 12 when he started to help.”

‘I love seeing returning faces’

Tash now works full-time in the family business alongside her dad while Nathan works Saturdays and helps out when he can.

“My favourite part of the job is being the buyer, making sure I buy the best produce for our customers and sourcing exotic fish like sea bass, sea bream, tuna, swordfish, grouper, Madagascan tiger prawns etc,” says Tash.

“We pride ourselves on having a large variety of different fish!

“I love working in the shop serving customers as we have such a massive customer base, most of which are weekly regulars.

“I love seeing returning faces.”

Netting success together…

Nathan is equally as proud and as passionate about their family business and has plans to use his unique skills to optimise old school methods.

“I’m qualified in data science so I’m trying to see how I can bring that into the business to optimise processes,” he says.

Reflecting on their success, the family say they couldn’t have done it without some of the amazing people who have worked with them over the years including Tash and Nathan’s mum Susan Roberts who was previously the bookkeeper before Alma Routledge started.

“We are a friendly, small family run business and our staff turnover is very, very low so customers always see the same faces,” says Tash.

“We have been in business a long time and have worked hard to build up a big customer base.”

‘We’re so grateful for our customers’

Tash says they’re so grateful for their customers who have supported them over the years.

“For us, we’d also like to say a massive thank you to all our customers for keeping our business going.

“We are grateful to still be in business after all these years.

“A special thank you to all the Granite City staff and Neil for keeping the company running smoothly too.”

Tash also believes their fresh product is also why they’ve been in business for so long.

“I think as a business, we are successful because we buy in and sell the best quality product available, our fish is always super fresh,” says Tash.

Still making waves 67 years on…

Watching Ed, Tash and Nathan laugh and joke as they reminisce, it’s easy to see why their business has stood the test of time.

“I’ve been slogging my guts out for 40 years, really working hard,” says Ed.

“If I’d continued to work in the oil industry, I would’ve had a much easier life.

“But I’ve enjoyed it and it’s a great feeling when people come back and say they’ve enjoyed the fish.”

During Covid, their hard-working ethos came to the fore as they moved their operation to home deliveries.

“We were flat out during the lockdown,” says Nathan.

“It was so busy and we were working late into the night but we were so pleased to be able to keep providing fresh fish to our customers.”

Casting new horizons…

The home deliveries have continued and the family also now attend farmers’ markets in and around Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Looking to the future, the family are excited about what’s to come.

“It’s a rewarding business,” says Nathan.

“I want to see the business go through our generation and onto the next.”

[Source: Press and Journal]