Lime cordial shortage caused by factory fire
The revelation followed a spate of comments on the micro-blogging site Twitter, as consumers vented their frustrations over their inability to purchase the drink.
Some users regaled stories of empty shelves in their local supermarkets, while others took to messaging Coca-Cola directly to solve the mystery of the shortage.
@CocaCola_GB Hi , I,m in search of Roses lime cordial, not available anywhere , not even online, do you know where I may be able to purchase some , and when will the supply be back to normal, thanks in advance !
— ANDY URRY (@IRONONTHEUP) July 31, 2018
What's happened to #limecordial@Tesco ?
— Roopy (@OldRupe) July 24, 2018
There isn't any in any of your stores
It official. Nowhere stocks #limecordial EVERYWHERE HAS RUN OUT. #brexit#itsofficial.
— Hannah Wilmshurst (@hwilmshurst) July 27, 2018
Responding to users’ complaints, Coca-Cola GB’s Twitter account tweeted: “Unfortunately there has been a fire at the factory where Rose’s Lime Cordial is produced, therefore production has been suspended while repairs are underway.
Up and running soon
“We hope production will be back up and running in the next few weeks and whilst we don’t have the exact timings at this stage, we can confirm that our team is working hard to ensure this happens.”
Unfortunately there has been a fire at the factory where Rose’s Lime Cordial is produced, therefore production has been suspended while repairs are underway. We hope production will be back up and running soon – our team is working to ensure this happens ASAP.
— Coca-Cola GB (@CocaCola_GB) July 31, 2018
A Coca-Cola spokesman told Food Manufacture on Friday: “We're sorry for the disappointment caused by the shortage of Rose's Lime Cordial but we're pleased to confirm that production has resumed today and you can expect to see it back in stores within the next ten days."
In June, about 60 fire fighters from across the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident at the Princes Food & Drink Group factory in Bradford, where the fire had started in a plastic bottle-making machine.
Crews arrived with 12 appliances – ten pumps and two aerial platforms. No Princes staff were involved and there were no casualties.
At the time, a Princes spokesman told Food Manufacture that production had recommenced and its warehouse was operating normally.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, an investigation was ongoing into the cause of a fire at a coffee processing plant in Banbury that resulted in the callout of firefighters from three counties.
