The initial year of President Donald Trump’s second term has left Helena coffee roaster Steven Ladefoged feeling uneasy. In April 2025, Trump introduced tariffs of 10% to 15% on green coffee bean imports, escalating to 50% later. Relief came in mid-November with a complete exemption from these tariffs, but many roasters, buying months in advance, still handle tariff-affected beans.
Ladefoged commented on the unstable tariff situation: “When Trump was originally kind of negotiating those deals, it was kind of weekly, depending on deals that were made with different countries … There was a lot of, like, imported food goods, coffee being included, excluded, from those tariffs as well. And so that kind of dramatically changed prices …”
Federal lawmakers attempted to exempt coffee from the Trump tariffs. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, and Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, proposed a bill 18 days before the exemption on Nov 14. Reps. Ro Khanna, D-California, and Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, did so in the House on Sept. 19, with Bacon as the sole Republican supporter among 11 cosponsors.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 20 that the tariffs were illegal, affecting U.S. trade policies since April 2025. By then, green coffee was already exempt for three months, but Brazil’s instant coffee still faced a 50% tariff. Following the ruling, Trump introduced new tariffs, now requiring Congressional review after 150 days.
Montana’s Republican delegation didn’t comment on future Congressional actions regarding tariffs. Rep. Troy Downing highlighted the benefits, “The President’s tariffs have broadened market access for American producers, brought in billions in revenue, and precipitated historic trade deals.”
Katie Bennett, from Café Imports, addressed the challenges: “Everyone drinks coffee, and it can’t be grown in the U.S.” She noted the varying tariff rates that affected businesses, with Brazil facing 50%, Vietnam 46%, India 26%, and Indonesia 32%. Bennett added that tariffs led to immediate price adjustments for roasters and consumers.
Green coffee prices spiked, further affected by poor growing conditions and tariffs. By February 2025, commodity prices had surged to $4.26 per pound, with retail prices following suit. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that ground roast coffee reached a record $9.37 per pound in January 2026, up 33% from the previous year.
Some tariffs benefited Montana. Rep. Ryan Zinke stated, “President Trump is using targeted tariffs exactly as intended to protect American workers.” The 132% tariff on Russian palladium boosted Montana’s Sibanye-Stillwater mine.
The New York Federal Reserve noted that Americans bore 94% of the tariff costs. Sen. Steve Daines supported Trump’s trade strategies, while Montana Farmers Union President Walt Schweitzer welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision, which favored Montana’s trade relationships. Schweitzer remarked, “This is a win for Montana family farms and ranches and American families, but we’ve got a long ways to go.”
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