DORAL, Fla. – Some South Florida small businesses are bracing for impact from President Trump’s tariffs.
Juan Torres, the owner of Tripping Animals Brewery in Doral, takes pride in being a locally owned and operated businesses, but rising costs for almost everything in recent years hasn’t made it easy.
“Thankfully we have been growing steady,” said Torres.
He says he’s managed to keep prices low.
“Dealing with all the providers and suppliers, trying to negotiate better prices,” he said.
But now he’s bracing for what may come.
The aluminum for his cans, the steel for his kegs and equipment, and even some of the grain he uses to make his popular beer comes from Canada.
“We’re going to probably start losing money,” said Torres.
The newly imposed tariffs on imported goods from our neighbors up north has many small business owners like him worried.
“We have received a couple emails from different suppliers like hey this is the price we have right now if you want to stock yourself with this material,” he said.
In North Miami Beach, the owner of Que Chido taqueria, Fatima Pacheco, is doing the bookkeeping.
She’s also the cashier and she’s constantly keeping an eye on her Mexican avocados, which had already gone up with inflation.
“The box is $28 and now it’s $68, double,” she said.
The prime ingredient for her famous guacamole has now been hit with a 25% tariff.
Her limes, too.
She, too, got a call from her provider.
“The provider told me the price is going up,” said Pacheco.
Albert Williams, an economics professor at Nova Southeastern University, said if the Trump administration wants to impose tariffs for fairness, the approach should be more specific.
“Generally from an economics point of view tariffs are not a good idea,” he said. “I would say the government urgently needs to study country by country where the disparities are deal with them bilaterally.”
Back at the brewery, Torres says the last thing he’ll do is raise prices on any of his beer.
He’ll make other cuts like halt on buying new equipment.
“We need to adjust some costs inside,” he said.
The Trump administration claims the tariffs will eventually have a positive effect on the economy, but Pacheco worries many small businesses like hers won’t be around to see it, if it happens.