SARASOTA, Fla. — French wine, German knives, and cheeses from many European countries may soon cost a bit more.
- 25% tariff likely on hundreds of European goods
- Cheeses, wines, and olive oil from some countries will be affected
- Exact list of products will be released Friday
The Trump administration is threatening to impose a 25 percent tariff on hundreds of goods imported from the European Union. This comes after the World Trade Organization ruled that the E.U. was subsidizing its aircraft industry.
The list of what exactly will be subject to the duties will be published on Friday. For now, local shop owners that are making a living on selling many of these products say they have a good idea as to what products with be affected.
Louise Converse, owner of Artisan Cheese Company, estimates that roughly 40 percent of the cheeses she sells in her Sarasota shop will be subject to the tariff.
“When you come in here, what might be $45 for specific cheeses could become $65,” she said.
The change comes during the holiday season, which is the busiest time of year for the shop. Converse says her goal is to keep her prices steady through the end of the year.
But after the holiday season she will likely be forced to either eliminate some products or charge a little more.
"You might see in the beginning of the year cheese that we love to have in our case, they're no longer there,” she said. “That’s just the fact.”
It’s not just as easy as finding an American-made alternative, either.
Converse says she talks to other cheese shop owners often and believes that U.S. distributors don’t have the capacity to fill the hundreds of thousands of extra orders that would come in if European cheeses were eliminated entirely.
"The American producers don't have the capacity to fill all of those orders,” she said.
She’s given her customers a head's up on what’s to come and many have started ordering in bulk to prepare for the expected tariffs.
"I’m always doing the best I can,” she said. “It's just one foot in front of the other, it’s all we can do."
The tariffs are scheduled to take effect on Oct. 18.