Local Heroes : How Loch Fyne Oysters Embraced Employee Ownership and Business Success

"Local Heroes" relates the extraordinary evolution of Loch Fyne Oysters, the highly successful and environmentally pioneering seafood company from the west coast of Scotland.

A remarkably eloquent and inspiring read, it describes how two men from entirely different walks of life founded and built the company, and how the employee buy-out transpired and developed.

The founding partners were Johnny Noble, an extrovert estate-owner drowning in debt, and Andy Lane, a marine biologist who was committed to environmentalism from the age of eight.

The sudden death of Noble precipitated four bids from large companies keen to acquire the brand, but in 2003 an all-employee buyout fought off the would-be 'predators', then faced the challenging but energising process of managing an employee-owned company.