U.S. Tariffs Set to Brew Higher Coffee Prices for Canadian Consumers

Canadian coffee lovers are likely to see higher prices on their daily cup as new U.S. trade tariffs disrupt the international coffee supply chain. As reported by CBC News, industry experts and café owners warn that the recent 10% baseline tariffs introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump—and a 25% tariff on Canadian goods that fall outside the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)—are already impacting the cost of importing and exporting coffee.

While the U.S. tariffs target coffee-producing countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and India, their ripple effects are being felt in Canada. Many Canadian roasters and brands rely on U.S. warehouses and middlemen to source green coffee beans, making them subject to both American import costs and Canada’s retaliatory counter-tariffs.

“This is definitely going to be a shock for Canadian coffee roasters, Canadian importers, and businesses that sell coffee in Canada,” said Stuart McCook, a history professor at the University of Guelph, in an interview with CBC News. “It marks a real shift from a historical relationship, where the Canadian and American coffee trade were very tightly integrated.”

Robert Carter, president of the Coffee Association of Canada (CAC), also told CBC News that the industry is already strained by high global coffee bean prices. According to Statistics Canada, coffee prices in B.C. rose by 15% between 2024 and 2025 alone. Carter warned, “The expectation is that we will continue to see elevated prices for some time… the tariffs just add fuel to that fire.”

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The CAC estimates that 74% of Canadians drink at least one cup of coffee a day, and the country imported over 25 million kilograms of coffee in June 2024. Canadian roasters who export their products to the U.S. will now face 25% tariffs if their products don’t meet CUSMA requirements—potentially impacting over $1 billion worth of trade.

Some roasters see this as an opportunity to encourage consumers to buy more ethically and locally sourced coffee. Matt Johnson, owner of Prototype Coffee in Vancouver, told CBC News that customers should seek out roasters with direct relationships with coffee farmers. “Those prices are going to be more stable,” he said, explaining that businesses bypassing U.S. intermediaries are less vulnerable to sudden cost changes.

Laura Perry, owner of Luna Coffee outside Vancouver, acknowledged to CBC News that smaller roasters could also face challenges, as Canada’s specialty coffee import infrastructure is still limited. She added that the tariffs “are a good reason to buy coffee that is sourced ethically,” and that the crisis has highlighted how undervalued coffee has historically been in Canada.

“What these tariffs, on top of everything else, have revealed is how interconnected we are, how much we rely on one another—and how things should be valued,” Perry said.

With tariffs set to take fuller effect by late June, Canadian roasters and consumers alike may soon feel the true cost of global trade tensions—one cup at a time.