Coffee prices could increase at Pittsburgh-area shops due to tariffs
Coffee prices could soon increase at Pittsburgh-area shops due to tariffs on imported coffee beans.
Proudly serving fresh, made-from-scratch food, Jamie Pikulsky said she opened From Scratch Uniontown with deep roots connected to her family.
"My grandmother, my mother, we never went out to eat when I was younger, ever," Pikulsky said. "We always had dinner at home around the table, and everything was made from scratch. Even our soup here, we make the noodles from scratch. All the cookies are from scratch."
She said since opening in 2022, her goal has been to drive business with quality and prices.
"I want to keep our prices affordable," Pikulsky said. "We're in Fayette County. There's a lot of low-income people around here. I want it to be less expensive than the corporate coffee chains to draw people in."
But she said over the past several months, tariffs on coffee beans have significantly increased her costs.
"Our coffee price is up about $1.56 a pound," Pikulsky said. "So, we buy in 5-pound bags. So, that really adds up. It probably brings our coffee price up about $150 a week. So, $600 a month."
Pikulsky said there's also a shortage of coffee syrups, forcing to switch brands, limiting options on flavors.
"We keep about 80 flavors on hand," Pikulsky said. "We're going to have to try to narrow that down, probably to 20, until this gets better."
She added that she's not alone. Pikulsky said this is impacting several businesses across the region.
"It's tough," she said. "I don't know of any small business right now that is thriving. It's tough across the board."
Despite it all, she said raising prices will be a last resort, but Pikulsky fears how much longer she'll stay afloat without more sales or relief on the cost of goods.
"It's scary because this is my life," Pikulsky said. "This isn't just a job for me. I was a school teacher for almost 20 years, and I stopped doing that to do this. I have a lot invested in this."
She said if she does raise prices, it could be from 25 cents to 50 cents, depending on the item.
