Yorkshire food and drink exports increase to £1.17bn
EXPORTS OF food and drink from Yorkshire increased to £1.17bn in the year to September 2018, a rise of 4.6 per cent compared to the previous 12 months, according to the latest HMRC figures.
Coffee, tea, cocoa and spices were the region’s most popular food and drink export, totalling £201m, an increase of 4.65 per cent on the same period last year.
Yorkshire firms tapping into overseas thirst for hot drinks include tea and coffee producer Taylors of Harrogate.
It recently exhibited its products in Shanghai to international trade buyers at Food & Hotel China (FHC), the country’s biggest food and hospitality trade show.
Taylors of Harrogate made the trip as part of a trade mission supported by the Food is GREAT campaign, the cross-departmental initiative between the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for International Trade (DIT).
The campaign aims to showcase UK food and drink overseas, and to help firms to export.
Mark Robson, head of UK regions
– Yorkshire and Humber at the DIT, said: “Selling tea to China is just one of many triumphs by ambitious Yorkshire firms trading food and drink around the world. Many companies we work with tell us how revered British produce is overseas, with importers often requesting that the Union Jack is featured on packaging.
“There’s hundreds of opportunities out there, and we encourage all food and drink firms to put exporting on business plans for 2019.”
Another food and drink category showing significant export growth over the 12-month period was sugar, which grew 31 per cent to £63m. Sheffield-based start up Pura Panela was one firm to experience export growth in the product category. It secured a deal with Middle East hypermarket chain LuLu to supply its dried sugar cane juice.
Pura Panela landed the contract after attending Gulfood 2018, which it attended as part of a Northern Powerhouse trade mission organised by Food is GREAT.
Dairy and hens’ eggs also experienced a 15 per cent rise in exports to £81m. One of the markets showing the most growth for Yorkshire food and drink exports during the period was Singapore, where the value of local exports increased by 31 per cent when compared to the previous 12 months.
There’s hundreds of opportunities out there.
Mark Robson, head of UK regions – Yorkshire and Humber at the DIT