KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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After weeks of uncertainty, a 90-day pause on several tariffs by the Trump administration offers some temporary relief, but local businesses like Parisi Coffee say the back-and-forth is concerning.
“It’s definitely been a bit of a roller coaster ride trying to figure out just what’s that impact going to be to us,” said Robin Seitz, vice president of supply chain and private partnerships at Parisi Coffee.
While some tariffs have been paused, a 10% tariff remains in place on imports from around 90 countries — many of which are key coffee producers. That’s just one of many challenges roasters are facing.
“We have to figure out, how can that be spread out across the business? What can be absorbed? And what’s going to have to be passed on?” Seitz said.
Parisi Coffee is considering how much the business can pay for beans, knowing customers could be doing the same. However, finding alternatives isn’t as simple as swapping out one bean for another.
Seitz explained coffee from different countries brings different flavors.
“When we’re trying to create a coffee of a certain flavor, a certain blend, we can really only get those characteristics from certain countries,” she said.
Relying on U.S. coffee production isn’t an option either. It’s very limited.
"Everyone's familiar with Kona and Hawaiian coffees, and then there's a very small amount that's being grown in Southern California right now, but there just isn't scale to even begin to quench the American palate for coffee,” Seitz said.
For now, Seitz says Parisi will take the temporary relief while searching for long-term clarity.
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