American Coffee Buyers are Deprived of Fresh Deals Due to Tariffs

Published: 22 Aug 2025

Author: Precedence Research

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The American coffee buyers are avoiding the best deals with popular Brazilian industries after President Donald Trump’s tariff of 50% hit this month. Most of the American companies are deprived of new contracts and are now seeking reliable and suitable areas of deal to address this existing situation to avoid higher levels of pay. This was noted by millions of brokers, exporters, and roasters. Few US buyers are requesting an extension in shipping timelines, hoping the tariffs will be eased over time, stated a Brazilian exporter group, Cecafe. Thiago Cazarini, a coffee broker, thinks that the deals between the US and Brazil are stalled, and no one is buying any of the interesting things (deals).

Back to the time with company leaders and their experience

The third of America’s unroasted coffee comes from Brazil, a country that has been submerged in a trade war, covering it with what he claims as ‘politically motivated persecution’ of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. The president of Bolsonaro, faced trials claiming a coup against the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who back then won against Bolsonaro in a 2022 election.

First, Trump imposed 10% tariffs on Brazil and other countries in April, before imposing 50% levies on the South American agricultural power on 6th August. The Florida-based Zaza coffee received around a quarter of the beans from Brazil, and recently, 14 to 16 weeks remain in the supply. After the beans are claimed, the company intends to replace them with coffee from Central America, Mexico, and Peru, stated Zaza’s director of coffee innovation, JP Juarez.

Most of the roasters are skeptical of the changes in long-term blends, on what might be a short-term policy. Brazil’s largest shares make the beans unbeatable compared to other alternatives, and it will be difficult to replace and match the volume of their essence, stated Christian Wolthers, a chief executive officer of Florida-based importer Wolthers Douque.

It seems like the roasters are not ready to bring any change to the profile of blends, as customers are familiar with the current customizations. Brazil is the top exporter of arabica, which is learned to be smoother than robusta and is the single bean used by the huge coffeehouse chain, Starbucks Corp. The coffee trade between the US and Brazil will slow down quickly this year.