When Jan Jacob Baak accepted the role of managing a Highland estate and moved from the Netherlands with his wife, Anja, and their three daughters, he would never have imagined that his hobby of curing meat would lead to a highly successful family business producing award-winning charcuterie. It was the year 2000 and his job on the estate required management of the wild deer population, so there was a lot of venison but not many people interested in eating it at that time. At first, Jan Jacob made sausages and burgers to sell to the local butchers, but his real interest was in smoking and curing, finding a way to add value to the meat and extend its shelf life.
