White House Offers Broad Coffee Tariff Relief; Brazil in Question

President Donald Trump on Friday ordered a major rollback of “reciprocal” tariffs on numerous agricultural products not readily grown in the United States, including coffee.

While the announcement was met with an industrywide sigh of relief in the U.S. — where higher green coffee prices have pressured traders, roasters, retailers and consumers — questions remain about the tariff status of coffee from the country’s largest supplier, Brazil.

AP reported on Saturday that Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said Brazilian exports to the U.S. — including coffee, beef and tropical fruits — may still be taxed 40%. Brazilian trade and agriculture leaders have since confirmed the 40% figure, while the Brazilian coffee exporters council Cecafé issued a statement on Friday saying that the group is “in contact with its American counterparts to carefully analyze the situation and gain a clear understanding of the true scenario.”

The National Coffee Association of the United States (NCA) issued its own statement on Friday, saying it “applauds President Trump’s action to remove reciprocal tariffs on most coffee imports, which will ease cost-of-living pressures for the two-thirds of American adults who rely on coffee each day.”

The statement did not explicitly mention Brazil, though the organization said it “urges all trading partners to advance similarly successful negotiations with the United States.”

Brazil produces roughly a third of the world’s coffee and supplies about 35% of U.S. green coffee imports by value. A 40% tariff on Brazilian coffee — combined with the elimination of 10% tariffs on other major coffee-producing countries such as Colombia or Honduras — would continue to dramatically reshape the global coffee trade.

Beyond Brazil

Under a Nov. 14 executive order, “Modifying the Scope of the Reciprocal Tariff with Respect to Certain Agricultural Products,” most coffee and tea imports are being removed from the tariff program.

The rollback has followed signals of bipartisan support for removals of coffee tariffs, plus recent signals from the Trump administration that goods like coffee — which cannot be grown in the U.S. at a scale to meet domestic demand — may be exempted from tariffs.

New guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection clarifies that 237 Harmonized Tariff Schedule classifications and 11 categories of agricultural products have been added to Annex II of Trump’s original tariff order, making them exempt.

For importers of green coffee, that means the 10% baseline tariff — and similar add-on duties for some origin countries — no longer applies to qualifying shipments entered for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 13. Eligible importers can seek refunds on duties already paid through post-summary corrections or protests, according to the guidance.

This story is developing. Daily Coffee News has reached out to numerous sources for clarification on the current tariff structure and specific coffee exemptions, and we will have more to report in the coming days.

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