Time to celebrate a success story
Jul 29 2004, Perthshire Advertiser

BLAIRGOWRIE-based specialist kilt and bagpipe makers, Piob Mhor, are this month celebrating
25 years in business.

The company (Gaelic for ‘Great Pipes’) which was founded by Gwen and Ruthven Milne in the late 1970s, is a family business that spans no less than three generations. The family settled in Blairgowrie after returning to Scotland from Australia some 25 years previous, purchasing their retail property that very same year. Building on Gwen and Ruthven’s passion for everything Scottish, the company has built a world class reputation for itself as leading makers of kilts, feather bonnets and bagpipes and currently exports its highland wares to numerous countries including the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

Demand for the company’s quality design and manufacturing is acknowledged across the globe, with commissions for highly specialised work originating from some the world’s leading fashion houses including the doyenne of Scottish tartan, Vivienne Westwood.

Stepping into Piob Mhor‘s high street store is like taking a gentle and pleasant journey into Scotland’s past. Steeped in history and, not surprisingly, a touch of tartan, the shop, originally a shoe store, is packed floor to ceiling with the best that Scotland has to offer, from feather bonnets and sporrans to Scottish antiques and collectables.

Dating back to the early 1860s, the shop’s interior is one of Scotland’s very few remaining traditional retail premises and the fate of its integrated wood casings and antique free standing display units are highly guarded by Historic Scotland.

This aspect of the business is now run by Gwen and Ruthven’s daughter, Dianne Tulloch, herself a highly accomplished master seamstress who specialises in highland dance wear and has passed on her craft based talents to her daughter Louisa, now 24.

She said: “The success of Piob Mhor of Scotland is very much down to the skill and enthusiasm of my parents who are still actively involved in the manufacturing side of things.

“ Our expansion of the retail business since 2001 has seen a steady rise in demand for the company’s products that is testimony to the high quality Scottish craftsmanship that we have all worked hard to develop and to pass on to other members of staff and the family.

“ Many of our customers return to us time and time again because of the personal attention that our business can offer.”

Behind the Victorian shop frontage of their retail operations, however, lies a vibrant ecommerce business set in the heart of Scotland and the future for the 25 year old family company, which also employs the skills of Dianne’s three sisters, her husband, brother in law and son, is certainly looking prosperous.

Since the advent of the internet, new doors have opened and their international acclaim has grown even further giving them the opportunity to service an international customer base from their wee bit hill and glen.