Importing to uk

Saskia

Member
Jun 9, 2005
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Does anyone have experience importing from DR to Uk? Would like as much info as possible on bring in food and drink items :)
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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This was in the DR1 news today - maybe you can get some information from the British Chamber of Commerce in the DR:
16,000 bottles of whisky sold
UK Ambassador Steven Fisher has told Listin Diario that Dominicans consume 16,000 bottles of whisky a day. Reportedly, whisky importers moved 600,000 boxes of 12 units of Scotch in 2010, for around 5,800,000 bottles a year. The British Chamber of Commerce says whisky sales were around US$28 million last year. The ambassador says it is important for it to be known in the UK that the DR is a country with almost 10 million inhabitants, the largest economy in the region, and with demand for many products and many investment opportunities. "It is a more developed economy than what most British think," he said. He said that Dominican businesspeople also needed to know that the UK is the sixth largest economy in the world. He stressed there were many unexploited opportunities on both sides.
The British Chamber of Commerce in the DR is planning a series of events aimed at strengthening ties and increasing awareness among businesspeople in both nations.
In 2010, UK exports to the DR totaled US$177 million, but this could increase to US$355 million in the next four years. The main items are vehicles, medical and pharmaceutical equipment, specialized machinery for industry, steel, beverages and apparel.
The DR exports to the UK are sugar, coffee, cacao and bananas for a total of US$187 million.
Marcos Pena is the president of the UK Chamber of Commerce.
Cmara Britnica de Comercio de la Repblica Dominicana
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
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Both UK charter airlines, Thomas Cook and Thomson export tonnes of fresh fruit and veg to the UK on every flight back to the UK. It's quite a nice little earner for the airlines.

At the moment it's mango season. The last flight back from POP to Gatwick took 15 tonnes of mangos and the freight holds.

From what I understand, a lot of this fresh produce is sold at Convent Garden market and direct to hotels and restaurants in the UK. Looking at the airway bills, none of the consignees are major supermarkets or high street names.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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A lot of Dominican bananas over there old bean! As well as some of the best cigars on the market, much better value and better made than much of what is available....according to Cigar Aficionado, mind you...I have not bought any cigars in London recently.
Our rum is also doing well from all accounts. But you apparently already know that, What?

Regards old chap,

HB
 

Saskia

Member
Jun 9, 2005
283
15
18
I'm living in just outside London in UK. I work in produce but the items I want to bring over are alcohol... Brugal and Presidente. We can purchase brugal here at ?20 a bottle but the other half is convinced its not the same. Also, interested in Ranchero Salzon
 

Mark Lloyd

New member
Sep 3, 2010
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Hi,

You could probably export from here though a third party with little fuss, however the chances of it clearing customs at the uk end without duty and vat being added are slim to none. Plus you need to factor in the shipping cost, I read somewhere recently that someone overhear shipped 24 cans of beans and six jars of branston pickle from Dover and the cost was well over ?60! I would suggest anything done commercially is just not viable unless you get into shipping containers! As you mentioned you are not looking for huge quantities it would work out cheeper to source locally from somewhere like drinkshop.com over in the uk.

If it is really small quantities I.e the odd bottle now and again there are a fair number of expats / visitors who would, for a small consideration be willing to bring over a bottle or two when flying home. I would suggest you post requests for people to pm you.

The only other suggestion would be to find a company that already ships booze from the DR to uk and contact them to see if they would put a small parcel aside for you, however, you will still be into a bonded where house situation when the staff lands in the uk and you will need to pay import duty and at to get it out of bond.

Sorry I could not be more helpful, hope it helps!
 
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Saskia

Member
Jun 9, 2005
283
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I can't find taxcosts anywhere, wish this was easier. We can get brugal here fir ?20 a litre but hubby thinks it's a rip off and he can get 5 litre cans for ?15 in DR. Just wondering if it would be viable to get it sent over.
 

Mark Lloyd

New member
Sep 3, 2010
44
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0
Hi

You will pay excise duty of 35p per litre plus 20% vat on the total value of the package, including the cost of shipping. Shipping cost for a five litre fragile package, would probably be in the region of ?50 but you would need to check. Basically it is not realistic or financially viable to ship in small quantities. You are better of contacting someone on this board who is traveling to the uk and asking them to bring some back for you as part of their allowance, however if you cannot meet them to collect the package they would then have to post it to you. If for example they got you 5 litres of brugal and had to post it to you the post would be over ?15.00 even at the cheapest rates, and that's if they did not get it picked up by customs. I guess it depends on how desperate you are for it, as mentioned on my earlier post about the baked beans, the difference is you can actually buy Brugal in the uk. If you are anywhere near a fraziers wine merchants they sell it for ?17.99 70cl bottle.
 

amparocorp

Bronze
Aug 11, 2002
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i've said this before but it's worth another round. there are a couple of million tourists (conservative number) a year that visit the DR, many of them are business people, some of them smart, rich, with connections, and many of them are also thinking of a way to have the best of two worlds. there are a million dominicans in NYC, some of them are smart, rich, businessmen with connections, they are also thinking of a way to live in paradise and still be in NY so the kids can go to school, and they probably speak excellent spanish. there are probably, at least, a couple of hundred dominicans living in europe that also dream of a double life. a lot of it is not meant to make a million dollars but at least cover the cost of airplane TX and dominican girlfriend. when i get into that mode of thought i have to ask myself, "what makes me think that i am so smart that i can come up with something that more than a million people have already been trying to figure out, people i am sure that, at least the majority, are smarter than I?" i then realize that that if it could be done, then someone is already is doing it, put my eyes back on the girls on the beach and start thinking of important things like, "is she too young?,,is her father, boyfriend, big brother around? how do i hide this from my wife?" not trying to rain on any parades, there are opportunities, years ago when computers were a "new" thing, a lot of pilots would stuff their briefcases with computer chips and they made real good money, it can be done, someone is out there right now with the new hot import/export except they ain't sharing the info with me, and, it needs to fit in a suitcase, but there are cartels that handle that too! coffee? been discussed to death on this board. the answer, for me, has always been to put in another shift at McDonalds, save that money for the plane TX..........
 

Saskia

Member
Jun 9, 2005
283
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We regularly buy the 70cl bottles here but for some reason it doesn't taste the same or seem to have the same alcohol content. Hubby and some of our friends who are huge DR holiday goers desperately want the 5 litre barrels. Have a few bars been built in gardens here which I'm being told need the special DR touch. Can get the brugal siglo here too but at ?130 a bottle it'll never be drunk lol
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
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South Coast
Saskia, my husband swears the Presidente sold in NJ doesn't taste the same as in DR. Now, someone told him that Presidente had to lower the alcohol content for US consumption, but we don't know if that's true. Could that be true for Brugal too?

AE