For the second year in a row, Easter will be a largely online affair, with socially distanced egg hunts and virtual church services. But there will be one notable difference in the Britain. Domestic chocolate makers, who should be celebrating one of their busiest times of year, are fuming instead, and all of them cite the same cause: Brexit.
âWeâve lost our entire European trade,â said Aneesh Popat, the owner of The Chocolatier, which sells dark chocolate salted caramel water ganache Easter eggs and other treats out of Bedfordshire, about 80km (50 miles) north of London. âWorse than that, weâve lost our reputation, because when we send palettes of chocolate to, say, Germany and it disappears or we canât track it, our customers donât blame the courier. They blame us.â
Sections
How Brexit Ruined Easter for Britainâs Chocolate Makers
Exports of chocolate to Europe have turned into a nightmare of paperwork and delays, making fine British chocolate scarce in Europe.
An Easter-themed window display at Rococo Chocolates. Many chocolate makers across Britain are struggling to export their treats.Credit.Tom Jamieson for The New York Times
April 3, 2021Updated 8:48 a.m. ET
LONDON â For the second year in a row, Easter will be a largely online affair, with socially distanced egg hunts and virtual church services. But there will be one notable difference here in the Britain. Domestic chocolate makers, who should be celebrating one of their busiest times of year, are fuming instead, and all of them cite the same cause: Brexit.