Brexit is tormenting British chocolate makers.
Chocolate is Britain’s second-largest food and drink export, after whiskey.Credit.Tom Jamieson for The New York Times
April 5, 2021
Small British chocolate makers emphasizing ethically sourced ingredients and bespoke batches became big sellers in Europe in recent years but have been nearly impossible to find there since January, David Segal reports for The New York Times.
“We have customers complain to us all the time, ‘Why can’t I buy my favorite British chocolate?’” said Hishem Ferjani, the founder of Choco Dealer in Bonn, Germany, which supplies grocery stores and sells through its own website. “We have store owners with empty shelves.”
What Some Companies Are Saying About Back-to-Office Plans: Live Updates nytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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.