Fresh fruit, juice and ice cream supplier Blue Skies has been developing longer-life products to mitigate the effects of a no-deal Brexit, according to newly filed accounts.
The company saw profits quadruple to £4.3m from £1.1m on the back of rising sales in the year to 30 December.
Overall turnover rose 8% to £108.4m, largely driven by increased sales in Europe, to £103.7m from £95.2m. Revenues from Blue Skies’ rest of the world operations, however, fell 11% to £4.7m.
Founded in 1997 in Ghana by Anthony Pile, Blue Skies was set up to supply fresh-cut African fruit to retailers overseas.
Given its exposure to the export market, mitigating the potential impact of Brexit is crucial for the brand, which has been focusing on the development of “longer-life products that can reach far-flung markets” - such as fresh fruit ice lollies - to address the challenges posed by increased controls at ports.
“A no-deal Brexit or a very hard Brexit considerably concern our business,” said chief sales and marketing officer Hugh Pile.
“Being short-life, and reliant on efficient and smoothly run logistics, our business would be threatened if we were to face any delays at borders. We are mitigating this risk through investment into new categories such as fresh fruit ice lollies and an award-winning range of dairy-free ice cream.”
During 2018, the brand expanded its presence in the UK grocery market with the debut of a premium juice range and of its dairy-free ice cream line, made with fresh coconut milk. Its products are currently stocked nationally by Waitrose, Amazon and Ocado.
The business - whose goods are produced in Ghana - has also been looking “beyond the UK”, Pile added, exploring the US, Dubai and wider European markets.
It remained “cautiously optimistic” about the coming year despite the “looming uncertainty” of the Brexit deadline which “does indeed delay investments, and prevents focused planning”, Pile said.
“That said, with our unique culture, our entrepreneurial spirit and our exceptional teams across all our countries, we are positive for a successful 2020.”
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