Cup of coffee costing more: Will County cafes say tariffs just 1 factor in rising costs

Three Will County coffee venues are less concerned with tariffs than they are with coffee prices overall.

On Wednesday, the U.S. announced tariffs of 46% on imports from Vietnam, a 32% tariff on imports from Indonesia and a 10% tariff on Central and South American coffee growers.

But at this point, the owners of Jitters in Joliet, Gost Coffee in New Lenox and Blissful Brew Coffee Co. in Lockport, are more concerned with other issues.

These include the rising cost of coffee caused by several factors including supply chain issues, climate change and an increase in coffee drinkers overall.

“Coffee is exchanged on the stock market. The pricing of coffee changes every single day.”

—  Daniel Bednarz, owner of Gost Coffee in New Lenox

‘Shortages and delays’

Gina Duffy, owner of Jitters Coffee in Joliet along with Amber Duffy and Daniel Duffy, said tariffs will definitely affect coffee prices in the U.S.

“Other than Hawaii, the U.S. does not produce natural coffee crops,” Gina Duffy said. “The coffee belt of the world is located outside of our borders so it is inevitable that tariffs will affect prices.”

But coffee prices began soaring last year, before the tariffs, because of climate changes, political tensions and an increase in coffee drinkers, Gina Duffy said.

“Brazil has been faced with severe drought, followed by torrential rainfall affecting crops. And experts think it could potentially lead to complete crop failures in years to come,“ Gina Duffy said. ”In addition, political tensions in major shipping routes near the Red Sea have caused delays and shortages.

“Coffee consumption has doubled in the past two years primarily from parts of the world that customarily weren’t huge coffee drinkers,” Gina Duffy said. “Which brings in supply and demand as an added reason for exorbitant coffee prices.”

Coffee prices always in flux

Likewise, Daniel Bednarz, owner of Gost Coffee in New Lenox, also said tariffs won’t impact the overall price of coffee or his staffing system – he currently employs 18 part-time baristas, most of whom are either high school or college students.

“Coffee is exchanged on the stock market,” Bednarz said. “The pricing of coffee changes every single day.”

Bednarz said tariffs could impact the price of coffee for countries that produce robusta coffee – such as Vietnam, Thailand and India – which are “getting slammed” by high tariffs.

The main problem for people who purchase and sell arabica coffee grown in Central America and South America is climate change.

“When I went to Costa Rica in January, my farmer told me that this year their harvest is delayed because of climate change,” Bednarz said. “But the same thing happened 80 years ago. So climate goes in cycles.”

Bednarz said some large coffee corporations are researching ways to produce a hardier coffee plant, one that can withstand climate changes.

In the meantime, Bednarz anticipates tariffs affecting his business in two ways: increased cost for items like cups and replacement parts for his roaster, he said.

Yet he thinks his business might also increase.

“If consumer confidence is there, people are willing to spend the money,” Bednarz said. “But if it’s not there, people will cut certain luxury items out. Maybe people won’t be buying big bags of coffee. But they will still want their coffee. Maybe they’ll take more trips to the coffee shop versus buying a bag of coffee to use at home. But it’s too early to tell.”

A ‘saturated market’

Nour Zein, owner of Blissful Brew Coffee Co. in Lockport, who launched her business two years ago, isn’t worried about tariffs per se.

Zein is worried about tariffs on top of “a storm” of rising costs of everything else in a “saturated market” of coffee venues, she said.

Speciality coffee is struggling due to climate. “My cost for beans has gone up 40% since last year,” Zein said.

And rent “has more than doubled in some places,” she said.

Staffing isn’t an issue because Zein has no employees.

“I’m the one behind the bar,” she said.

But Zein said she’s also reluctantly raising her prices, a move she resisted for a long time. Zein knows firsthand that people who can’t afford a nice restaurant meal can at least afford nice coffee “made with love and quality and care.”

“As cheesy as it sounds, coffee makes a huge difference in your day,” Zein said, “especially when you’re financially struggling and sleep-deprived, and you need something to make you feel better.”

Zein said she hopes the tariffs are resolved as quickly as the TikTok ban, where “everyone was having a Y2K moment” because local coffee shops are places where many people find community, Zein said.

“The coffee community is driven by love and passion,” Zein said. “We’re doing it because we want to share our love and passion and creativity with one another. We’re doing it because it’s our dream.”