A quarter of all British tea imports is at risk from the current Red Sea disruption

A quarter of all British tea imports is at risk from the current Red Sea disruption according to analysis by Russell Group, a data and analytics company.

Detailed analysis by Russell’s ALPS Marine can reveal that £157 million of tea imports from nations including India and Kenya are at risk from being delayed due to the crisis in Red Sea.

This is roughly one quarter of all British tea imports, which in 2023 was £683 million according to ALPS Marine.

Since the attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen, all shipping companies have diverted trade from the Red Sea towards the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. This has significant costs and delays to all items travelling from East to West.

Many of Britain’s supermarkets have warned that the length of the current crisis in the Red Sea will determine the extent of the shortages on their supermarket shelves. However, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that it has seen “temporary disruption” to some black tea lines.

This follows recent announcements by many clothing brands including NEXT and Primark who have warned of the potential disruption to their supplies by the crisis.

Suki Basi commented on the potential crisis of the Tea Disruption:

“As a tea-drinking nation, it will not be great news for consumers to hear of a potential limit on the supplies of tea into Britain. But what these figures highlight is the current precariousness of global trade at the moment, and the large impact that seemingly unconnected events can play in our everyday lives.

Adding to the already announced delays in clothing and manufacturing, we have now tea.

Unfortunately, for consumers and businesses alike, unless this disruption is ended, this will not be the last supply chain disruption, as there will be more to come.”