As if brewery owners needed another thing to worry about, Tariffs could be another thing added to the list for 2025. Rather than shrug shoulders or worse yet, have it keep you up at night – we wanted to share some tips on ways that you can address Tariffs for your brewery.

We’ll go over the biggest thing to avoid, and that is spending to much time trying to negotiate or avoid their impact. The fact is, that there is little a small business can do to avoid impacts completely, either short or long term, from tariffs. But once you stop wasting energy on trying to figure out ways to avoid them completely, you can work on ways to lessen the impact to your business if they do show up in your operating costs.

We’ll go over 3 areas to lessen the impact:

1. If you have the space/storage – you can acquire extra inventory. Make sure to work with your suppliers if you chose this option.

2. Identify any line items that you know are being imported today ( i.e. perhaps your Malt provider) and reach out to US based providers. With some discussions, you may want to switch now and then avoid any worry later in the year.

3. Spot check pricing compared to 2024. When you see an increase ( i.e. 10% or higher) reach out and ask about the reason. Be ready to switch providers to alternatives that are not seeing an impact from tariffs in the same category. Also talk to your supply partners about how they are handling tariff prep in 2025.

This isn’t about avoiding risk all together, but figuring out a plan on how to deal with it as it comes so you are not caught off guard. Cheers.

My name is Dan Klasen and I’m the Founder and President of the Beverage Federation. The Federation is a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) that provides procurement services to its craft members, focused heavily on cost savings measures. Starting the Federation has combined my passion for meeting new small business owners, negotiation, and cost-saving programs. I have worked with every size organization in my career, from small family-run companies to fortune 500 businesses. While I learned a lot from working with larger organizations, I truly enjoy working with fellow entrepreneurs on running and improving their business. The Federation now works with over 300 breweries to help educate and implement smart buying programs designed to help them run leaner and be around longer.

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