The average U.S. price of a pound of ground coffee hit $9.14 in September, a 3% increase from the August average of $8.87 and 41% higher than in September 2024, according to U.S. government figures. Coffee prices have been increasing sharply since the start of this year.
Nikki Bravo, the co-owner of Momentum Coffee in Chicago, raised prices by about 15% last week for lattes, cappuccinos and other drinks at her four locations.
Other items also have gotten more expensive, such as cups and sleeves, she said. In addition, the minimum wage in Chicago rose July 1 to $16.60 an hour.
“At some point we just had to pass it along, we couldn’t continue to eat it,” Bravo said.
Here’s why java is feeling such a jolt and how some are trying to alleviate it:
Outside of Hawaii and Puerto Rico, there are few places in the U.S. that can grow coffee. So 99% of America’s coffee is imported, according to the National Coffee Association, a trade group.
In September, Trump announced that “unavailable natural resources” could be exempt from tariffs for countries that have reached trade agreements with the U.S. But so far, coffee hasn’t won any exemptions.
In September, a bipartisan group of U.S. House members introduced a bill that would repeal all tariffs on coffee.
“We only produce 1% of the coffee that Americans consume. It’s one of the best examples of Trump’s blanket tariffs making no economic sense,” U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, said. Khanna co-sponsored the bill with U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican.
Bacon said Friday that he became interested in the issue when he saw how much coffee cost at the grocery store. He said he’s also not a fan of tariffs and thinks Congress — not the president — has the power to levy them.
Bacon said he thinks the Trump administration now realizes that putting tariffs on products that the U.S. can’t grow is bad for consumers, and he’s hopeful the bill will pass.
“I hope the president and Congress see the positive benefit of removing this tariff on everyday Americans,” he said.
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Durbin reported from Detroit. Rugaber reported from Washington
