Riding the
GET READY FOR NEW RULES ON EXPORT – AND THEN SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE OUT THERE
UK Ltd, is a 2020 Black British Business Awards finalist. Having developed a passion at school for horses and riding, she spotted a gap in the market for natural fibre liquid horse feed. To gain the knowledge to make her idea a reality, Sandra studied for an equine sports science degree. In 2014 she launched Equigel, a unique horse food that helps the animals combat fatigue and dehydration. The company is based in North Lincolnshire and currently employs three full time staff, plus a varying number of contractors depending on business needs.
LOCAL PRODUCe
Using local produce and manufacturers is important to Sandra, so she doesn’t import from the EU, but Equigel is becoming successful around the world and she estimates that 80 per cent of her business comes from EU countries. Now that the UK has left the EU, businesses like Sandra’s have limited time before the transition period ends on December 31 to ensure they’ve taken all measures to keep trading successfully with those countries. To find out which changes your business needs to make, visit gov.uk/transition. Sandra says: “We’ve been exporting to Europe for seven years now – it represents a huge chunk of our market, so I knew I’d have to get organised quickly.”
Sandra’s first step was to make sure Equidiet had an EORI (Economic Operator Registration and
Identification). This is a unique ID code that’s used to track and register customs information in the EU. It usually takes about a week after you have applied to receive.
“I got our EORI number fairly quickly, but then I found out that each country’s respective tax code has to be on our packaging,” says Sandra.
exPORT OPPORTUNITIeS
Sandra is keen to promote the benefits of exporting to other business owners “The world is bursting with opportunities for UK businesses to explore, and I want to encourage more businesses, especially those with black or other ethnic minority owners, to export. But now that the UK has left the EU, we must be up to date with rules and regulations so that we move smoothly from the end of transition into 2021.” Equidiet is a British success story using local products and exporting across the world. “Using gov.uk/ transition gave me reassurance that I can carry on trading across the EU from January 1,” says Sandra.