A SCOTTISH island with just one house, which is only used for holiday lets, could be turned into a tourist destination after a Scottish entrepreneur bought the island last year.
Torsa Island, located around 30 minutes from Oban across the Cuan Sound in Argyll and Bute, was inhabited until the 1960s, but is now a "magical" spot for nature lovers, its new owner has said.
Colin Wilson, from Linlithgow and a chemistry graduate of the University of Edinburgh developed his business, Totally Natural Solutions (TNS), to supply breweries with liquid hop extracts that can be used to make craft beer.
He bought the island last year for an undisclosed sum. It was placed on the market with a guide price of £1.5 million.
By 2024 TNS had an annual turnover of £8.2m and a headcount of 45 staff, and is now working with world-leaders in the sector like Asahi and Molson Coors.
The firm is now also working in the non-alcoholic brewing sector, supplying key ingredients to Diageo for the production of Guinness Zero.
TNS generated interest from potential acquirers and selected global conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) as its purchaser in 2024 for an undisclosed sum.
Following the handover period, Wilson has now moved back to Scotland with ambitions to turn Torsa Island into a site for conservation and rewilding, as well as providing a "high-end escape from the modern world".
He told The Scotsman: “The opportunity to buy Torsa Island was luck and timing. It is a magical, unspoilt nature paradise.
“Our vision is to blend rewilding, conservation grazing and regenerative agriculture on the island.
"We're putting our sustainable development plan into action with the aim of delivering local employment on the island, maintaining biodiversity and creating a high-end escape from the modern world, within striking distance from Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
