Banffshire local Billy Wood comes from a fishing family as far back as he can trace.
Originally from Pittenweem in Fife, the 54-year-old has enjoyed a career at sea since leaving school at 17.
A trawlerman, Royal Navy marine engineering mechanic, and fisherman are among his former positions, as well as a cook on a trawler.
“I was cooking for seven men,” Billy, who now resides in Longmanhill, said.
“This was a steep (and often painful when I got it wrong) learning curve. It was really my first introduction to food in any serious manner.”
But it wasn’t until his time as a mechanical engineer at an offshore service company, a role that Billy had for more than a decade up until the Covid outbreak, that sparked an interest in bringing a deli to the streets of Banff.
This happens to be when he met his wife Suzi, from Whitehills.
‘Flying by the seat of my pants’
Billy went on to say: “When on time off, we [Suzi and Billy] would take trips all over Scotland. They were all based around food when I think about it.
“There are so many small Scottish food businesses that you never know exist. We used to actively try and find places with great local produce and base our breaks around them.”
The couple often complained that their hometowns lacked stores with quality local produce on the shelves, like those they visited on their travels.
“We spoke about how good it would be if there was a deli at home, and even better if someday we could open one,” Billy added.
“To be honest I thought it was just a dream that was spoken about and never acted on.
“I have no experience in business and was/am totally flying by the seat of my pants.”
The Banff Deli
Billy started the redundancy process at his offshore role and went back into fishing when coronavirus struck, before coming to the realisation that his age was against him.
Then, one day, his wife shared surprising news. “We are going to open a deli,” she said.
“We have spoken about it enough. This shop has come up, it’s affordable, and we can do it.”
Billy added: “The right shop came up at the right time and we decided to go for it.”
The premises in conversation was on Low Street. This is where The Banff Deli can be found today after the pair fell in love with it.
Billy and Suzi received the keys on Friday, July 1 and it took around three months to transform it from an empty shell into “a modern deli with an old-time feel.”
Based across two floors, the ground level – comprising a farm shop-style area – opened on Tuesday, September 27. The upper level opened around three weeks later.
Customers can not only purchase items made by a range of local producers, but also browse a deli counter and order sandwiches and toasties.
Fordyce Bakery, Pie Aroma, Mummy’s Kitchen, Bees by the River, Boyndie Beehive, IM Wholesale, and Zingy Tingy Beetroot are among the producers providing stock.
As for products, these include jams, chutneys, crackers, beetroot, cheese boards, and meats. Fresh pies are stocked on Tuesdays and Fridays and fresh bread is stocked on Tuesdays.
Soft drinks are also available, but Billy and Suzi hope to acquire an alcohol licence in 2023.
One-stop-shop
The Banff Deli is open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, with the exception of Wednesday’s opening hours which are 10am to 1pm.
There are currently four full-time staff and two part-time staff.
“From where we started to where we are now is a good feeling,” Billy said.
“It is also a very scary time as we have invested absolutely everything we have in this business, I’m very aware of rising costs and folk having to tighten their belts.
“Let’s just see how things evolve. It’s early days and it’s going to take a while to build it up to where I want it to be.
“The most important thing is that people come and support us because, without them, we are nothing.”
Conversation