Your Coffee Is About To Get 40-60% More Expensive

Vietnamese Products Now Have a 40-60% Tariff

Vietnam is often in the headlines as a strategic partner in Asia, a manufacturing alternative to China, and now, a target in Trump’s proposed 40% tariffs. But what exactly does the U.S. import from Vietnam, and why should you care?

The answer is simple: everything from your sneakers to your shrimp cocktail.

In 2024, the U.S. imported nearly $136.6 billion worth of goods from Vietnam, a 19.3% jump from the year before. That’s not a fluke—it’s the result of decades of investment, trade deals, and a global supply chain that increasingly runs through Southeast Asia.

Vietnam now ranks among the top 10 trading partners of the United States. And with many companies shifting production out of China, its influence is only growing.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

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What Are We Buying?

Coffee: Americans Love Coffee

A lot, but for a moment, let’s look at coffee. It’s one of my favorite things in the world. It is a warm hug in the morning, and after about 20 minutes, it tells me, “You got this. Go get ‘em!”

Don’t judge me, if you’re a coffee drinker, it does the same for you too.

In 2024, the U.S. imported approximately $364 million worth of coffee (green beans, husks, and substitutes) from Vietnam.

In physical terms, that’s about 5 million 60‑kg bags, or 300 million kg of Vietnamese coffee entering the U.S. market — roughly 15% of Vietnam’s total coffee exports, according to USDA data.

What the Numbers Mean

Americans love coffee. The table above illustrates the amount of coffee we import from Vietnam alone. I asked ChatGPT how many cups of coffee this would make, as I’m not very good with math.

The amount of imported coffee from Vietnam, from January to May 2025, would be sufficient to make approximately 5.7 billion cups of coffee.

I’m not sure if I should be alarmed or impressed.

Maybe you don’t drink brewed coffee. Perhaps you prefer a ready-made coffee drink, such as a bottle of Starbucks Frappuccino, when you stop for gas or at the grocery store. That price is also going up.

Robusta beans, Vietnam’s specialty, dominate U.S. imports. They're commonly used in instant coffee and ready-to-drink beverages.

Let’s Drink American Coffee!

Here’s the thing. We can’t produce it in America at the current rate of consumption. Coffee beans only grow in particular locations of the world. Coffee plants are very particular about where they grow and thrive. They require a climate that is consistently humid and warm throughout the year, with filtered light. Greenhouses would likely not be practical either.

How do I know this? Because my household had coffee plants. Had is the key word.

Growing Coffee Is Hard

My husband is the one with the green thumb. I look at a plant, and it dies. One Mother’s Day, he bought me a coffee plant in a tiny coffee mug. They were selling them at Home Depot.

Ten years later, they became huge bushes thanks to the TLC my husband gave them. They even started producing cherries (which become coffee beans, they look like cherries). One day late-fall evening, my husband did not realize the temperature outside would be below 45 degrees. It’s Georgia, and the first frost can easily be in November. They slowly died shortly after.

That’s all it took to kill the bushes. For ten years, the coffee plants were cared for in huge containers so they could be moved indoors for the winter. In the family room, all winter long, there would be two big bushes of coffee plants, along with the other plants that were not tolerant of cold weather.

Georgia has the humidity, and filtered light can be relatively easily created, but you cannot make it not be cold in winter.

American Coffee Is Not A Viable Option

Like most other industries, “buying American” is not a viable option for the coffee industry. Not in the short term, at least. In the United States, coffee is only grown commercially in Hawaii.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d be the first to sign up for a large-scale expansion of the delicious Kona (Hawaii’s blend) coffee. However, I do not think the island can resupply the amount of coffee Americans drink without the time to make the plants (which are more like bushes) grow. It would be years, if even possible, before Hawaii could produce the same amount of coffee.

Then we could get into the Kona blend not being everyone’s cup of…. coffee. It’s a different flavor profile. That’s a different article.

A Quick Look At Other Products

As mentioned at the beginning, the United States imports a lot from Vietnam. Here’s a breakdown of some of the other potential price increases from tariffs of everyday products.

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Tariffs may sound like abstract policy tools, but their impact is anything but theoretical. From the sneakers on your feet to the coffee in your cup, the ripple effects of a 40% or 46% tariff on Vietnamese imports are felt in real dollars and everyday choices. While a few extra cents per cup of coffee may seem manageable, the cumulative cost across furniture, electronics, clothing, and other items can add up quickly, especially for working families already struggling to make ends meet.

These hidden taxes don't just target foreign manufacturers; they also impact American consumers, retailers, and small businesses. If the goal is economic strength and supply chain resilience, we need more innovative strategies than blanket tariffs that raise prices without solving the underlying issues.

1. Air Jordan 1 High

2. Nike Running shoes

3. Nike Hoodie

4. These products were given relatively low retail price estimates. Depending on the brand, the cost of clothing, furniture, and electronics can be dramatically higher, therefore increasing the tariff. Tariffs are also most commonly calculated on the value of the goods plus the cost of freight.

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