UK’s biggest cocoa and coffee importer expands in Liverpool

The UK’s biggest importer of cocoa and coffee beans is expanding at the Port of Liverpool.

CWT Commodities leased land from Peel Ports for a new 36,000 sq ft warehouse and office site to accommodate a growing demand from the UK’s food and drink manufacturers.

Building firm Mazdon Construction is delivering the scheme, which will sit alongside CWT’s eight other dockland warehouses.

Almost 65,000 tonnes of cocoa beans – over two thirds of the UK’s total demand – arrive in the country through Liverpool each year. The port also handles around one third of the 150,000 tonnes of coffee beans imported annually.

The cocoa beans mostly originate from Ghana and the Ivory Coast, while the main coffee exporters are Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil and Colombia.

CWT Commodities UK director Jason Cross said: “The Port of Liverpool is strategically important to us due to its geographical location resulting in reduced inland transport costs and carbon footprint for the supply chain involved in delivering to the factories.

“The continued investment we have made in logistical infrastructure such as the warehouses wouldn’t have been possible without the strong partnerships formed over many years with Peel Ports and Mazdon Construction.”

He added: “We are excited about the completion of the new facilities and the future growth opportunities this will offer.”

Mazdon Construction MD Alex Hemmings commented: “Having designed and built CWT’s previous warehouse schemes at the Port of Liverpool, we are pleased to be undertaking our third phase of warehouse construction with adjoining offices on three levels.

“Our successful relationship with CWT over the last 10 years has been founded on our ability to understand their commercial and operational needs, providing them with a bespoke design and build service here in the UK and ultimately delivering value engineered storage and handling facilities to meet their growing requirements.”

Andrew Martin, land and property director at Peel Ports, said: “This further investment by CWT reinforces the Port of Liverpool’s premier position as the logistics hub that connects food and drink manufacturing and processing centres across the northern half of the UK.

“CWT has been a highly valued customer for many years and we’re delighted to support them in the next stage of their growth in the UK market. We thank them for investing in the Port of Liverpool. We would also like to thank Sefton Council and Natural England for their support in making this development happen.”

The new site is due for completion later this year.