On Thursday, May 29, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Beaverton, met with a group of Portland-area coffee roasters and retailers to discuss the impact of President Donald Trump’s 10% tariff on coffee beans and related supplies.
The meeting revealed a mixture of anxiety and uncertainty among the participants regarding how these tariffs would affect their small businesses and the coffee industry as a whole.
Enrique Sánchez-Rivera, owner of Love Preferred Coffee Co. in Northeast Portland, expressed frustration.
“I feel as if my representatives aren’t doing anything,” he lamented, speaking to the sentiment shared by many in the room.
Participants highlighted how the increased cost of beans and equipment resulting from the tariffs creates financial strain that they struggle to pass on to consumers.
Paul Thornton, who owns Thornton Family Coffee Roasters in Beaverton, shared his perspective after 40 years in the coffee trade.
“I’ve been buying coffee for 40 years and I’ve never had to worry about tariffs,” he noted, emphasizing that the unpredictability of tariffs undermines their ability to set prices for customers, which is crucial for business planning.
“It’s made for very awkward conversations with customers I’ve already sold coffee to.”
The discussion also touched upon the commonly cited rationale for tariffs: promoting American jobs by encouraging domestic production.
However, the attendees pointed out a crucial limitation—the overwhelming majority of coffee consumed in the United States is imported.
Emily Smith, a relationship representative with Hacea Coffee Source, stated that the tariffs could end up harming U.S. jobs instead.
“These tariffs will kill U.S. jobs. It’ll do that by closing small coffee shops. That coffee shop where people had their first date. Where they held business meetings. Where they stayed up late studying for school,” she said, underscoring the broader cultural impact of small businesses on communities.
Bonamici, who has experience with trade negotiations—as a member of the congressional work group that helped craft the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)—referred to the administration’s tariff strategy as “chaotic and outrageous.”
She explained that the process of negotiating trade agreements involves careful consideration and input from Congress, a contrast to President Trump’s approach of imposing tariffs via executive order.
“These are not normal times,” Bonamici remarked, indicating the sense of turmoil within current trade policy under the Trump administration.
The frustrations were not limited to the administration; the business owners expressed disappointment with Democrats as well.
Despite the challenges posed by tariffs, many felt the opposition party had not adequately addressed these policies.
Mark Stell, managing partner of Portland Coffee Roasters, voiced his concerns, stating, “We’re just not seeing the pressure of (Democrats) to these policies. It’s like you’re waiting for something catastrophic to happen.”
He emphasized that the issue transcends partisan lines, representing a serious challenge for both small and big businesses.
Sánchez-Rivera echoed this sentiment, noting, “These mandates are coming from bullies. I’m not saying we should break the law, but we have to be aggressive.”
Bonamici reassured attendees that forums like this one are valuable as they allow her to convey the concerns of small business owners back to her House Democratic Caucus.
“If tariffs come back to Congress, Democrats will be able to be more involved,” she commented, highlighting a potential pathway for legislative action.
Cassy Gleason, who owns Marigold Coffee and Buckman Coffee Factory—the venue for the roundtable—also recognized the importance of such discussions.
“We have leverage. Maybe it’s time for us to wake people up in a different way than we always have,” she said, emphasizing the broader significance of the coffee industry.
The meeting took place against a backdrop of growing legal challenges to the president’s tariffs.
On May 28, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of International Trade issued a ruling blocking Trump from implementing tariffs on imports under emergency powers.
This ruling followed various lawsuits asserting that Trump’s tariffs exceeded his authority, raising questions about the future of trade policy in the U.S.
Oregon was involved in at least one of the lawsuits challenging these tariffs.
“The Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariff Orders exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs,” the court stated, referencing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which was the basis for Trump’s tariff decisions.
Bonamici predicted that the legal battles surrounding tariffs could ultimately be escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court, though she acknowledged this might not happen in the current session.
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a leading member of the Senate Finance Committee, criticized the tariffs for their adverse effects, which he described as “jacked up prices on groceries and cars, threatened shortages of essential goods, and wrecked supply chains for American businesses large and small.”
Adding a humorous element to recent discussions on tariffs, a White House reporter used the phrase “TACO”—an acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out”—to describe the often unpredictable nature of the president’s tariff decisions.
This phrase references the pattern of the markets reacting negatively to announcements of tariffs, only to rebound when Trump subsequently backtracks.
When asked about the term, Trump feigned ignorance but responded defensively, insisting he is not afraid to make decisions.
On the same day as the coffee roundtable, a separate federal court ruled against Trump’s emergency tariffs, marking another setback for his trade agenda.
As coffee business owners continue to navigate the complexities of tariffs and their ramifications, they remain hopeful that their voices will be heard in Washington.
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