At Pact Coffee, a London-based subscription company, the pandemic has been mostly good for business, which partly relies on customers staying home to brew their own coffee, but now the uncertainty of Brexit looms on the horizon - Business Insider reports.
Pact subscribers hit 60,000 this month, up from just 40,000 in March, said Paul Turton, chief executive, on Friday. It had taken years to hit 40,000.
But as the UK prepares to leave the European Union at the end of the year, Pact has doubled its usual stockpile of coffee beans to an about six-months supply.
"Essentially, because our revenue was up 50% this year, we've had to accelerate our importing of coffee. And the biggest concern around Brexit is going to be the disruption of the ports. The big unknown at the moment. That's the big fear we have at the moment, because we can't control that," Turton said.
Around the world, the challenges of doing business during a pandemic has led coffee shops to rethink store layouts and customer outreach. Local mask regulations. Stocking up on hand sanitizer. Keeping staff socially distanced. Overall, it's been a rough year for foot traffic.
But for coffee sellers and importers the UK, those challenges have been overlaid by the uncertainty of Brexit. The UK is leaving, with or without a new trade deal in place.
"A no-deal situation will introduce tariffs for trade between the UK and EU which, of course, do not exist at present. They will all be removed if a deal is reached," said Paul Rooke, executive director of the British Coffee Association.
Without a deal, those tariffs would start at 7.5% for roasted beans and 9% for instant coffee, in line with the World Trade Organization rules that would be put in place as the default, according to the BCA.
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