Yorkshire Dales smokehouse up for sale
An award-winning Yorkshire Dales smokehouse is offering a year’s free rent to anyone keen to take on the running of the business.
The Kilnsey Smokery near Skipton is up for sale and the present owners are looking for an entrepreneur with a passion for quality food production who can build on the heritage and successes of the smokehouse.
The purchase price for the smokehouse is £30,000 for a six-year lease and a monthly rent of £415, with the first 12 months’ rent being waived equating to £5,000. The business is being marketed by Knightsbridge.
Jamie Roberts, owner of the Kilnsey Smokery, explains: “We spent decades building up a successful smokehouse business and can look back with pride that our smoked trout has been recognised as some of the best in the country.
“However with the growth of other business interests, we needed to take a step back from the running of the smokehouse which stopped trading this spring. It’s now time for somebody else to enjoy the business and develop the brand while working in fantastically scenic Dales surroundings.
“We’re offering the rent-free enticement as we’re so keen for the right person to take over the reins so the Kilnsey Smokehouse thrives for years to come. We will provide full training to those who are new to smoking food as we can see the potential for building on a great artisan brand.”
Prospective purchasers can expect to take on a business with a great heritage. The Kilnsey Estate where the smokehouse is based harks back to the time when Cistercian monks from nearby Fountain’s Abbey farmed the surrounding lands and smoked fish and meat for their guests.
Then three decades ago the Roberts family resurrected the practice, learning the trade from master smoker Jurg Bleiker before starting to smoke their own springwater-reared rainbow trout.
Since then the smokehouse has won a string of accolades. The smokehouse is ready to trade from day one, with premises comprising two smoking kilns, a separate processing room and vacuum packing machine.
This lifestyle business opportunity will also appeal to those interested in sustainability as the smokehouse is powered by green energy.
