My Take on Brexit...

By Rory Ireland, who is the director - Bristol Twenty Coffee Co. (Coffee wholesaler).

What impact, good or otherwise, do you think Brexit will have on your business? 

The changing nature of the UK's status within the EU will undoubtedly have an effect on Britain's role within the global market. Coffee, like any commodity is traded on the open market and prices fluctuate based on supply and demand.  I think we will see a rise in prices as trade tariffs with the UK government are re negotiated. 

We also import most of our coffee machines from the EU, and I think we will again see prices rises and longer lead times as the trade deal with the EU is fully realised.

Has your business experienced any real impacts, good or otherwise, already? 

Due to the COVID19 situation it's hard to say. We are experiencing huge delays in items we import from everywhere in the world, but this is largely due to countries trying to minimise Covid spread rather than Brexit. We hope  this will come to an end when COVID19 is under control and hope things get back to normal with shipping, and Brexit doesn't affect this.

Talking to our partners around the world and our hauliers, they don't foresee Brexit causing too many problems. We think there might be a slight delay from products from the EU due to the increased amount of paperwork.

What steps did you take in Q4 last year (or earlier) to prepare for Brexit? 

We took steps to ensure we had a customs agent that we could work with on our imports from the EU. We also began to investigate simple selling to the EU, but this is still on the back-burner because of COVID19. 

How do you feel about the Brexit deal with the EU as it stands at this time? 

I think it's a good starting point but it needs to be built on. I think initially it is going to be hard on the UK economy, but in the long run we will be stronger. Unfortunately because of the knock-on effect of COVID19 means that this could be far further away than anyone could have predicted.

What, if anything, do you feel is missing from this deal? 

Going to a point based immigration system may cause issues for our customers who employee lower skilled EU nationals as their baristas. The hospitality trade in general has a very transient work force of young people travelling or spending a few years working overseas, whilst in the EU this was relatively easy. The new system could put an end to this.

Do you have any concerns or worries about imports or exports of products now?

We are concerned that lead times will increase and prices will go up, but we have been assured these will be minimal. It does mean that we may need to keep extra in stock to ensure no disruption for our customers.

Do you have any concerns or worries about your supply chain? 

Yes we have already seen massive delays, albeit down to COVID19', but this has made us realise we need to keep more in stock. This of course throws up its own problems of cash flow and storage space, so its a fine line to walk.

Do you feel there are additional opportunities for your business now that Brexit is done?

We had begun to look into trading in the EU before Brexit had been completed and before COVID19, but that is on the back burner now for the immediate future.

Do you have any advice for fellow business owners around Brexit impact –based on steps you’ve taken or your particular expertise?

I'm certainly no expert and we're trying to navigate this minefield the same as everyone else, but I would suggest that we continue to batten down the hatches and focus on getting through the early part of our new freedom unscathed. I think things will be great again, but it will take a little while. 

What would you expect to see happen during 2021 due to the UK leaving the EU? 

I think 2021 is going to be a tough year. As we come out of the devastation caused by COVID, I think Brexit is going to have an adverse effect on the UK economy initially. We're planning on just working hard to get back to where the business was in March, and not pushing to hard for expantion. We're hoping 2022 will be our year to boom.

Do you think leaving the EU will impact consumers’ buying decisions?

I think it will slowly encourage people to build on the foundations that were laid down in 2020 of buying locally, to encompass buying from UK business' all round. We have alsways tried to buy British weher we can and I know with Brexit on the horizon there are a lot more British producing and manufacturers coming to the forefront of business.

For more information visit www.bristol-twenty.co.uk