GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — If you're like most Americans, your morning starts with a cup of coffee — but that daily ritual is getting more expensive.
Retail coffee prices in the United States are up almost 21 percent nationwide since August of last year, marking the largest annual jump since 1997, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report.
"We always expect prices to fluctuate, but lately there's been more pressure on the price due to tariffs and uncertainty," said Paul Oleksy, assistant roaster at Luna Coffee Roasters in De Pere.
At Luna, the most recent increase in menu prices happened about six months ago. The shop raised its items by roughly 10 percent.
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Luna Coffee Roasters processes about 1,000 pounds of coffee each week in-house from beans sourced globally.
Almost all coffee consumed in the United States is imported, and U.S. tariffs on coffee-growing countries are raising prices on the product across the country.
Not all local coffee shops are feeling the same impact, though. Sonny Hennessy, CEO of The Exchange, said tariffs haven’t yet affected business there.
Unlike at Luna, the coffee isn’t roasted in house at The Exchange. The Exchange purchases its coffee from fair trade farmers across the globe.
Hennessy said the last time her shop raised prices for consumers was during the pandemic, when it was difficult to stay afloat.
"As small business owners, you're not able to pass on the amount that you get because people feel it when they know what they ordered last week and they ordered this week,” Hennessy explained. “We can't increase at the level we get hit. You just can't.”
The coffee shops interviewed haven't yet raised their menu prices due to tariffs, and both establishments say that even if prices do go up, they'll continue to offer the best coffee at the best price they can afford.
