Dutch courage has city entrepreneurs frying high

Two young North-east businessmen have big expansion plans for their popular fast-food takeaway brand.

Mike Robertson and Dave Griffiths, both aged 32, want to see around 100 ABERDAM Dutch Fries outlets up and running across the UK in the next five years.

Such an achievement would represent major growth for a venture which was only born during the CV19 pandemic and recently plus a mobile unit operating in Aberdeenshire. There is a team of nearly 30 staff.

The two entrepreneurs see the Shire as presenting a big opportunity - and they are currently looking at three new opportunities in the area.

The plan is to open the first of these outlets this year, with the other two to follow soon after.

Different types of food from around the world are increasingly

He explained: “No one was doing Dutch food across here.

“Dave and I have a fascination with Amsterdam – there are a lot of cool snacks there from the street-food scene that no one was selling in the UK.

“And we also decided to give our offering a Scottish twist, by marrying Dutch street food with the best products from our local worldclass larder.”

ABERDAM specialises in triplecooked Dutch style fries, sauces, and fried snacks, as well as its Aberdeen-Angus smash burgers

The operation started out as a fries stall manned by Mike and Dave at an outdoor street food event in the city in April 2021 that they co-organised, and its business potential immediately became

He explained: “The first week we did the stall, the queue of customers was round the block - and I said to Dave: ‘We are onto something

“We quickly realised that our food offering appeals to everyone – it is not a niche, so the potential market is huge.

“After four months with the stall, we realised things were going so well we needed a permanent-home – so we found premises in Aberdeen’s

The businessmen then added an outlet in Glasgow last October and the mobile unit in February this year, but this is still early days for the

The enterprise’s major potential has already been recognised at a North-east and national level.

ABERDAM picked up two top industry awards in recent weeks.

It received the Start-up Business of the Year award at the 2023 Northern Star Business Awards.

The Aberdeen venture feels a great responsibility to support and promote fellow local businesses as much as possible.

In just one year, it used more than 50 local suppliers for its staple menu items, packaging, signage, merchandise and more.

Suppliers include G McWilliams for meat, Vegan Bay Baker for buns, Fat Batch for desserts, Angus and Oink for seasonings, Amity Fish Co for fish and Fierce Beer.

ABERDAM was also honoured at the UK grand final of the Federation of Small Businesses Celebrating Small Business Awards in Birmingham.

The Aberdeen operation came first in the Start-up Business of the Year category.

The two Scottish winners - the other being Yellow Hare from Tiree

- triumphed over more than 4,000 small businesses and entrepreneurs from across the UK who entered this year’s awards.

ABERDAM’s Dave Griffiths said of the honour: “It’s unbelievable to have been recognised.

“Looking around at all of the other entrants who managed to get their successful businesses off the ground despite all of the challenges of the last few years was really inspirational.

“Knowing that we’ve been recognised for our hard work is a real boost as we prepare to expand.”

In its first 12 months of trading to April 2022, ABERDAM achieved sales of £440,000, which jumped to just over £1million in the year to April 2023 and is expected to reach the £2million mark in the current year.

What is most remarkable about this surge in growth is that the venture has managed to thrive with no backing from outside investors.

Mike said: “We put £5,000 on our credit cards to get started and that was it.”

The two businessmen see massive potential for expansion in the next five years.

Mike added: “We could have 100 ABERDAM outlets by 2028.

“The opportunity is huge, as we can’t see many direct competitors.

“The company’s estate down the line would be a mix of sites owned by us, plus other locations franchised out.

“For example, we could see four or five outlets in the Birmingham area alone.”

Mike conceded that, to achieve such a rapid rate of growth, ABERDAM would need outside finance.

The entrepreneur felt this was inevitable, though Dave and he would still be in control.

Asked about the secret of ABERDAM’s success, Mike said resilience was a big factor.

But the businessman also commented that success for the venture did come at a personal price.

He added: “Commitment is constantly needed, seven days a get enough of my time, due to my work. But that’s the price you pay for success - sacrifice.”

Asked about moves to boost the fortunes of Aberdeen city centre, Mike welcomed the recentlylaunched Our Union Street organisation led by Bob Keiller.

But he said: “There is a big problem in the city centre with the high levels of rent and business rates.

“We previously looked at a site in Union Street, but it had a rent double that of the premises we occupy in Shiprow, not to mention the rates we would have had to pay.”

However, future potential success for ABERDAM would not all be about the founders making money.

Mike, who hails from Torry, has a

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Grampian team pioneers breast screening AI

Breast screening technology developed using Artificial Intelligence (AI) can detect abnormalities that would have been missed using current screening procedures.

From research to delivery in clinical settings, this groundbreaking work undertaken by the University of Aberdeen, NHS Grampian and Kheiron Medical Technologies has included the analysis of 220 thousand mammograms from more than 55 thousand people to determine how well an AI tool could detect breast cancers.

The AI software, named ‘Mia’, created by Kheiron Medical Technologies Ltd., was assessed by a research team led by Professor Lesley Anderson, Chair in Health Data Science at the University of Aberdeen, as part of the Industrial Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research in Digital Diagnostics (iCAIRD) programme. Dr Clarisse de Vries, Radiology Imaging Researcher, at the University of Aberdeen led the data analysis.

The analysis found that Mia was successful at identifying potentially missed cancers, known as ‘interval’ cancers which are detected between screening visits. The team found that Mia would have suggested recalling 34.1% of the women who went on to develop cancer in between screenings. Using current screening measures these cancers remained undetected until the women developed symptoms.

Dr De Vries explains: “Currently, two experts examine each mammogram and decide whether the person should be invited back for additional investigations. If the two experts disagree, a third expert makes the final decision.

“Similar to a human expert, Mia can examine a screening mammogram and give an opinion as to whether that person should be invited back for additional investigations.

“Mia has previously been developed and tested on some groups, but until now had not yet been used on data from the NHS in Scotland.

“Our finding is a massive step forward in using AI technology in diagnostic medicine – we showed that once ‘tuned’ to the local environment, AI can be of enormous benefit to clinicians and importantly, people who may be at risk of developing cancer.”

Joy for Dons fans as Clarkson signs permanent deal

Leighton Clarkson has signed a four year-deal with Aberdeen FC after completing a move from English Premiership side Liverpool for an undisclosed fee.

The creative midfielder, who made a lasting impression during his loan spell at Pittodrie last season, becomes Manager Barry Robson’s second signing of the summer.

And more new faces are expected to be announced in the coming days as The Dons step up preparations for their European campaign next season.

A highly sought after young player, the return of Leighton further reinforces the Dons’ vision to be the best developer of talent in Scotland and was made possible by the AberDNA programme, which uses fan contributions to bolster our first team and development strategy.

Quensh team supports North-east beach clean-up

A team of work colleagues from Quensh Specialists Limited swapped the corporate life for the beach as part of an environmental awareness campaign to support a local beauty spot.

The group from Ellon-based Quensh joined forces with another local business, J+S Subsea, to take part in a cleanup effort at Newburgh Beach, where they collected 138kg (or just over 300lbs) of plastic and other waste.

Fierce Beer open new taproom at Dyce brewery

The brand-new Fierce Beer taproom, opened in April 2023, is one of the key outcomes of Fierce Beer’s 2021 Crowdfunder. Fierce’s community - known as its Fierce Family - helped them to build a brand-new retail space onsite at their brewery in Dyce, on the outskirts of Aberdeen.

Dotted with plants and lit naturally with large windows, the taproom is spacious and has a relaxed vibe with outdoors picnic bench seating, space for kitchen pop-up vendors, and ample parking. Fierce Beer’s expertise in alcohol free beers means drivers don’t miss out on delicious beer brewed on site.

There are plans to develop the outdoor area further – as the brewery and taproom is located in a non-residential area there is opportunity to host outdoor events with live music and DJ sets. The venue’s capacity is 115 – large enough for beer launches and events, but with the flexibility to host smaller, more intimate events.

A brewery-staffed shuttle bus runs on weekends, making it easier for customers to access the taproom from the nearby train station, demonstrating the personal touch Fierce Beer are known for within the beer industry.