B.C. coffee company facing $25K in U.S. tariffs

A small business in British Columbia is feeling the financial strain from new tariffs on U.S. imports. Origins Coffee Roasters, owned by John Sanders, has been hit with $25,000 in tariffs on essential equipment needed for their operations. Origins Coffee Roasters, established in 1999 on Granville Island, specializes in wholesale coffee sales to cafes and the public. The company currently employs two people and relies heavily on imported equipment. Sanders mentioned they recently started supplying coffee to OEB Breakfast Co., which operates 20 locations in Canada and two in the U.S. The tariffs make it difficult for Sanders to pass on costs to customers. “We cannot pass this on to our customers, 100 percent,” he said, emphasizing that the business must absorb the financial burden. He estimates that it will take about a year and a half for the impact of the tariffs to normalize in their finances. Sanders pointed out that while their coffee is sourced locally, most of the grinding and brewing equipment comes from the U.S. He noted that Canadian manufacturers do not produce the specific equipment they need. “We are forced to go outside of our borders to buy this equipment,” he said. Sanders is advocating for government support in examining tariff impacts on products without domestic alternatives. Despite these challenges, he remains passionate about his work and plans to continue providing coffee for his clients.