COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on U.S. imports, and coffee businesses in Colorado Springs are expecting an impact.
The U.S. is the second-largest importer of coffee, right behind the European Union. A recent USDA report shows Brazil is the country's top supplier, followed by Colombia, Vietnam and Honduras.
Toby Anderson, owner of High Rise Coffee Roasters, says his store plans to raise the prices of its coffee beans.
"We are going up about 11%," said Anderson.
Anderson says, like every other business, he faces some challenges. Lately, it's the tariff. He says, unlike other businesses, it is difficult to have "Made in the USA" on coffee.
"It has to be warm. It has to be above 4,000 or 5,000 feet," said Anderson. "We can't grow coffee in this country."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has recently urged the Trump administration to provide automatic exclusions for products that cannot be produced in the U.S. You can read the full letter here.
Colton Klauss, owner of Carnelian Coffee in Old Colorado City, says he has raised the prices of his coffee drinks.
"We tried to absorb as much costs as we can because we don't want to outprice people for drinking coffee," said Klauss.
For now, Klauss says he's going to buy as much coffee as possible to protect inventory and product. Both owners say they are figuring out ways to minimize the impact on their customers.
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