Macedonian Juniper Harvest Macedonia Trip Tommy recently returned from Macedonia where he was discussing quantities and the harvest for the next Juniper crop. This is due to start in September 2022. Given the travel restrictions it was his first trip to Macedonia for over two years and it was good to be back seeing some familiar faces. The Juniper berries are ripening It is too early to tell what the crop will look like this year [...]
Murcian Citrus Supplies Checking on the progress of the citrus processing in Murcia, Spain. Almost two years to the day since his last supplier visit, Tommy dusted down his passport and headed for Murcia to check on the progress of the citrus processing. Excellent Spanish citrus fruit The region of Murcia produces excellent citrus fruit being perfectly located between mountains to west and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. Michael and Tommy have [...]
The Russian / Ukrainian situation Where does botanical sourcing sit? Beacon Commodities have been following the events in Ukraine closely and are appalled with President Putin’s actions and the suffering it has caused to Ukraine and its people. Solidarity with Ukraine For a number of years, Beacon Commodities has sourced coriander from Russia and Ukraine. To show support for Ukraine, the sourcing of Russian coriander will cease immediately and any profits from the remaining stock will be [...]
Sussex Coriander English coriander from planting right through to harvest The fact that this report is being sent out in December is not due to Tommy putting his feet up! We promise. It is a case of extremely testing growing conditions from planting right through to harvest. April and May in Sussex were unseasonably cold with a number of frosts throughout both months. This meant that the planting of the coriander crop was delayed until 2nd [...]
Juniper Harvest 2021 Another Juniper harvest is well under way in the Balkans. Another Juniper harvest is well under way in the Balkans. Thankfully, the yields are an improvement in 2019 and 2020 and with good quality across all the regions. This should slow down the number of grey hairs appearing on Tommy’s head! Demand The demand for Juniper has not waivered over the past 24 months. The previous two harvests have been exceptionally poor (in 2019 and [...]
Sourcing quality botanicals during Covid-19 What a testing year it has been for all! We hope the worst is past us but unfortunately this dreaded virus will create many more hurdles throughout 2021. Having to deal with Brexit at the same time has added to the ‘chaos’ as the ‘teething’ problems which were supposed to last weeks continue. Trips to see harvests Due to Covid restrictions, Tommy and Michael’s trips to see harvests and suppliers have been [...]
Beacon Commodities on lockdown Some time has passed since our last Newsletter and we hope this finds you, your family and friends safe and well. What strange times we are currently living in with devastating effects to life and the hospitality industry. Beacon Commodities on lockdown Tommy and Michael have always worked from home so there has been little change in the day to day running of the business. Many trips to suppliers across the globe have been [...]
Donating and the coronovirus In these troubled times Beacon Commodities are supporting three fantastic charities by donating money every time they sell a kilo of Juniper Berries during the current UK lockdown. We continue to back the fantastic work that Save the Children and the Great Ormond Street Hospital do in keeping children safe both here in the UK and across the globe. Additionally we are also donating to the Drinks Trust recognising how Beacon’s customers rely [...]
Visiting a supplier of cinnamon in Sri Lanka A very lucky Tommy was recently in Sri Lanka to visit a supplier of cinnamon. Escaping the UK wind and rain, he was able to explore a special country for the first time and learn more about this special spice. Traditional methods with a long history: The cultivation, harvesting and processing of cinnamon is incredibly skilful with methods remaining unchanged for over a thousand years. There is evidence dating [...]
Coronavirus and botanical supplies The effects of Coronavirus are being felt worldwide and it is not yet under control. Therefore we should expect further consequences and enforced controls over the coming months.. We are lucky at Beacon Commodities in that none of our botanicals currently come from China. This is possibly a surprising fact given the range of spices and botanicals China grows. Forward Planning We must however plan for the worst with the likelihood that the spread [...]