Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Big plans for Perth business selling tiny plants to top hotels

Perth-based Enriched Being supplies weekly microgreens to award-winning chefs at Andy Murray's world famous Cromlix near Dunblane.

Tara with some of her latest microgreens
Tara Scott grows microgreens for top restaurants and hotels from her Perth home. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

Tara Scott first discovered the health boosting properties of microgreens after falling unwell in her thirties.

Struggling with rashes and severe mouth ulcers, she radically altered her diet and noticed huge improvements.

After a long career managing holidays lets, she realised she needed a change and decided to make her passion for plants more than just a hobby.

The 51-year-old and husband Paul founded Enriched Being at the end of 2023 and now supply microgreens to many of Perthshire’s top hotels – including Andy Murray’s Cromlix.

Tara outside her home
Tara first discovered the benefits of microgreens after illnesses in her thirties. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

Used for garnishes or added to soups and salads, the microgreens are packed up to 40 times as many nutrients as adult plants.

They include pea shoots, sunflower shoots, broccoli shoots, popcorn shoots and micro basil.

The couple, who live in Craigend on the outskirts of Perth, transformed their spare room into a high-tech growing room.

As the business grew and demand increased, they erected a grow tent in their garage.

Their hard work led to Enriched Being winning the Scottish EDGE regional awards, securing a £10,000 grant.

Peace amongst plants

Reflecting on her unconventional midlife career change, Tara said: “I really look forward to work every day.

“Running your own business is hard but I also find peace amongst my plants.”

Following her degree in hospitality and tourism, she ran a holiday accommodation management firm for almost two decades.

However Brexit and changes to licensing – as well as the rise of Airbnb – had made the industry more challenging.

During the pandemic, she completed a nutrition coaching qualification and decided to make the leap to the green side.

Tara watering plants
Tara harvests and replants microgreens at her Perth home once a week before delivering them freshly cut. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

She explained: “I have been fascinated with the health benefits of greens since I suffered rashes and mouth ulcers in my thirties.

“At one point I had around 30 ulcers in my mouth at one time – it was miserable.

“All the tests I had kept coming back inconclusive, so I sought the help of a private nutritionist who suggested I give up gluten and dairy and eat more plants.

“Amazingly, all my issues went away.

“I reintroduced dairy and gluten to my diet later on but definitely paid more attention to what I was putting in my body.

“I stumbled onto microgreens a few years ago and was amazed at how flavoursome and full of nutrients they are.

“When we decided to close the holiday let business and needed a new source of income we decided to go for it and grow our own.”

Big Shot of Perth microgreens

Tara harvests and replants her microgreens every week.

She then hand delivers them fresh to a range of local hotels and restaurants, including Cromlix Hotel in Kinbuck near Dunblane, Murrayshall Hotel near Scone and Cairn Lodge in Auchterarder.

Big Shot microgreens bottle
Tara hopes her new microgreens Big Shot will be a big hit. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

She is now in the final stages of developing a 30ml shot of fermented microgreens.

The first of its kind, each tiny Big Shot bottle will contain naturally fermented microgreens to unlock nutrients, improve absorption and last longer.

Conversation