Tea in short supply due to Red Sea crisis
As tea is grown in Asia and Africa, it has to be brought the UK upon cargo ships whose progress is being held up by the Red Sea Crisis
Photo by Alexander Bobrov
Tea has become a popular choice for Float customers in recent years, with our current two types of tea bags – Tetley and Yorkshire Tea which come in packs from 1040 to 1100 tea bags.
We chose to sell these as in our modest opinion (as big tea drinkers), they’re the best tea bags to make your daily brew.
But recently, Yorkshire Tea, in particular, has been harder and harder to stock and has sold out quicker and quicker when we have had stock.
This mainly seems to be because of the crisis in the Red Sea, where ships have been targeted by Houthi rebels. Shipping companies have reacted by taking a different route around the Cape at the tip of South Africa, but this is a huge extra cost and taking an extra few weeks.
Our Tetley One Cup teabags are still in stock in the shop
Here is how The Guardian sees the problem
Shoppers in Britain could face shortages of tea supplies in some stores due to disruption on trade routes and delays.
Retail giant Sainsbury’s told consumers there were problems that could affect the availability of black tea, although it is expected to be for a short period.
A sign in one Sainsbury’s store stated: “We are experiencing supply issues affecting the nationwide supply of black tea. We apologise for any inconvenience and hope to be back in full supply soon.”
But retail bosses have said the problems are temporary and stressed that the impact on consumers is expected to be minimal.
Our Tetley One Cup teabags are still in stock in the shop. They are cheaper than Yorkshire Tea. And let’s face it, Tetley’s a Yorkshire company, too.
Yorkshire Tea
Price per Cup- 1040 bags / £23.99
Tetley One Cup
Price per cup1100 bags / £19.99
