OBITUARY: Michael Crowther, founder of Moray Firth Maltings in Highland capital
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The founder of the firm that later became Bairds in Inverness has died.
Michael Crowther, who died on Friday, March 3, was a key figure in the remarkable expansion of malting barley in the north of Scotland who founded Moray Firth Maltings in Inverness.
Having attended Oundle, Michael then carried out his national service and joined the 33rd Parachute Field Regiment RA where he had tours in both Suez and Northern Ireland and witnessed many “lively” situations. Later on in life, during parties, he loved showing people his parachute roll, where glasses and tables would often go flying.
He attended Wye University to study agriculture and his first job was working for R&W Pauls in Ipswich as a pig feed salesman. In 1965 he became the manager of a subsidiary agricultural merchant company. It was at Pauls around the age of 29 that he met Oliver Griffin who had the innovative idea of setting up a maltings in Inverness. With two other founders they moved up the next year to set up Moray Firth Maltings. Back then, each distillery had their own maltings and the idea was to produce malt more cost effectively (using the new Static malting process) than the distilleries could themselves. Within three years, they had successfully raised the money to build the plant and succeeded in the enormous task of persuading the local farmers to grow the right sort of barley, exporting to the likes of Japan, Nigeria and Brazil.
And so began an incredible growth journey where Moray Firth Maltings began to export malt to the likes of Japan, Nigeria and Brazil. He also developed life-long friendships with some tremendous characters in the whisky industry and in The Highlands. Despite being a proud Englishman, Michael said he preferred the company of Scots, praising their friendliness and hospitality. They liked him as much he liked them.
In 1984, Moray Firth Maltings was sold to Scottish & Newcastle and then later became Bairds, which continues to this day.
Then followed a move to Thailand for three years where he worked for the Thai government as an adviser to its Agricultural Department where he set up various cooperatives around the country which allowed farmers to dry their maize using proper driers as opposed to spreading the maize on large flat areas leaving them open to disease. Yet again he loved Thailand and they loved him. In 1987 he bought a farm where he loved growing malting barley of course, as well as milling wheat. He loved the business side of things and had no time for people if he thought he was getting the wrong end of a deal. But he mellowed with age and began to enjoy the rhythm of the seasons. He was a keen member of the Greenstead Green Agricultural Club and was a local District Councillor for Braintree.
He also continued to see his Scottish friends in the north for shooting and would think nothing of driving to Inverness and back in two days
He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
He was father to Angus, Sarah and Nicola from marriage to Catherine (nee MacDougall) and grandfather to Fraser, George, Henry, Amelie, Beatrice, Charlotte and Hamish.
His funeral takes place on March 27 at 2.30pm at St Nicholas Church, Castle Hedingham, Essex.
