Symon was the inspiration behind Grants, teaching his brother Jonathan how to hand catch salmon in the Lake District river next to their home, and then teaching him how to cure and smoke the fish. Symon is a passionate art, wine and fine food expert.

COMPANY OWNER

Jonathan was taught to hand catch salmon from a local river as a child, while also escaping the attentions of the river bailiffs. He set up Grants straight after leaving school. Decades on, the company is still creating the best smoked salmon using award-winning traditional methods. His other business interests include property, snack, cosmetic and pet food companies. Thankfully, he no longer has to run away from river bailiffs as he doubts that he could outpace them.

GENERAL MANAGER

After many years in managerial admin and the hospitality sector, Michelle started working for Jonathan in Miami in 2004 overseeing various projects. She returned to Cumbria in 2009 to run one of his salmon companies before becoming general manager of Grants in 2016. She describes part of her role as “daily firefighting any issues which arise” – although she leaves the real oak chips in the smokehouse smouldering.

SALES MANAGER

Tim Barrah learnt the seafood business working for his father’s company during school holidays. After taking his A-levels, he then spent (his dad says “wasted”) five years traveling the globe working in the hospitality industry.  After managing a country house hotel, he joined Grants 20 years ago and continues to travel widely, representing the company across its international markets.

CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER

Having worked in customer service and managerial admin roles in a variety of sectors, from construction to retail, Lyn joined Grants five years ago. As a mum of three and a grandmother, she is used to multi-tasking and dealing with demanding people – most notably her work colleagues.

MASTER SMOKER

Brian has 37 years experience in smoking salmon and has been at Grants for more than 20 years. Married to Patsy, our production manager, his decades of experience ensure our reputation for quality is maintained.  When not at work he can normally be found at the bar he has built in his back garden.

DRIVER

Jimmy has been driving for Grants for 26 years and our human GPS has clocked up more than four million miles working for the company. He is married with 6 children, 14 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. On his retirement he wants to avoid traffic jams and buy a Wurlitzer jukebox for his collection of 3,000 vinyl singles. 

MARKETING & PR

Having spent 25 years in publishing, James now helps Grants with its marketing and PR. Despite having been Editor-in-Chief of a newspaper group, he admits to being terrible at spelling and has just learnt Chili is how you spell the dish, not the country.