Coffee Bros. launches petition against U.S. tariffs on imported coffee
U.S. roasters warn new tariffs on imported coffee will increase consumer prices and hurt small businesses dependent on global supply chains.
USA – U.S. specialty coffee roaster Coffee Bros. has launched a petition urging the federal government to exempt coffee from recently announced import tariffs.
The petition, titled Exempt Coffee from Tariffs: Protect American Small Businesses and Preserve Coffee Quality, has rapidly gained support online, as industry stakeholders express concerns over the impact of the trade measures.
On April 2, President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on a range of goods, including coffee imports from several major producing countries.
Vietnam, the world’s second-largest coffee exporter, will face a 46% import tax. Indonesia, India, and Nicaragua will see duties of 32%, 26%, and 18%, respectively, while other key suppliers including Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Uganda will be subject to a 10% tariff.
Dan Hunnewell, Co-Founder of Coffee Bros., criticized the policy, stating that the U.S. coffee industry is uniquely dependent on imports. “Coffee cannot be manufactured at scale in the United States,” he said.
“Hawaii and Puerto Rico produce less than 1% of what Americans consume, making tariffs not only unnecessary but deeply harmful.”
Hunnewell argued that the new tariffs risk disrupting long-established international supply relationships, raising costs for businesses and consumers alike. “Coffee is not steel or cars. It’s not something you can reshore to the Midwest,” he said.
Commodities analyst Lucrezia Cogliati of BMI supported these concerns, noting that the U.S. produces only around 0.2% of the coffee it consumes.
She warned that the tariffs would not stimulate domestic production but instead result in higher consumer prices, potentially reducing overall demand.
Coffee Bros. continues to call for the removal of coffee from the tariff list, emphasizing the importance of trade policies that reflect the industry’s global supply realities.
Meanwhile, Brazilian coffee exporters see U.S. President Donald Trump’s global tariffs as an opportunity to send more robusta beans to the United States after international rivals were hit with even heavier charges.
“Opportunities could arise for Brazilian exporters if the U.S. coffee industry fails to get the grain – of which the United States does not produce much – put on a tariff exemption list, as well as if Vietnam is unable to reverse its own charge in separate negotiations,” the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafe) said.
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