by Marty Green ·
Friday, April 11, 2025
Local business owners are taking a “wait-and-see” attitude on the tariffs recently announced by the Trump administration. The tariffs are expected to raise prices for goods coming into the United States from almost all other countries.
“It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks,” said Harvard resident Tony Shaw, owner of Toreku Tractor and Equipment in Ayer. “It’s not really possible to make plans. … It’s too variable.”
Steve Walz of Harvard Outdoor Power Equipment had a similar reaction. “Honestly, I don’t know what measures you can take. … It’s the uncertainty that’s the problem.”
The brands of equipment for sale in both stores indicate the complexity of the issue. All the products Shaw sells are built in the United States, he said, but that is just the beginning of the story. Kubota tractors are built in Georgia, he explained, but their engines and transmissions come from Japan. Some snowblowers have engines from China. And there is Canadian steel in the blades for snowplows and in trailer carts. A factory in Mexico makes the engines for Briggs and Stratton mowers.
Walz carries equipment made by Stihl, a company founded in Germany but with American production facilities in Virginia. He said the company’s smaller power saws are made in the United States, while the large, professional-sized ones are still made in Germany. And some engines come from overseas, too.
Both Walz and Shaw pointed out they already had full inventories for the current season, so any price increases on imports would not affect them until they place new orders in a few months.
One Harvard business that will be hit hard by the tariffs is Muddy Waters Coffee Roasters. Owner Tim Van Sipe told the Press in a brief phone interview that he imports coffee from many countries—Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, Ethiopia, and more. He said coffee prices were already rising because of drought in some of those areas, and the tariffs will add to the costs.
“I’ll have to raise my prices,” Van Sipe said. “I’m actually scared to order coffee now, because I don’t want to see the new prices!” But he expects he will need to place some orders within a month or so.
Van Sipe also operates a coffee truck, selling coffee by the cup. And he said the tariffs will raise his costs on that side of the business, too. The cups and lids for those direct sales to coffee drinkers come from China and could double in price under the new tariffs on Chinese imports.
Charles Oliver, who works for a wine importer and distributor, says the new tariffs will raise the price of wines from Europe by 20%. To put it simply, he said, a $15 bottle of wine will go up to $18.
“Obviously, adding 20% to your costs is not good,” Oliver said. “In general, margins in wine are not high, so 20% is significant.” He noted that the distributor has long-term relationships with wine producers, many of whom are small, family-based businesses in France and Italy. Some producers, he said, may be able to give the distributor “a bit of a discount” to share the burden of the tariffs. While Oliver also distributes a few wines from the United States, he said those make up less than a tenth of his sales.
At the Harvard General Store, Scott Hayward was tracking his wine inventory as he answered questions about the tariffs. “It’s a tax on the consumer,” Hayward said bluntly. He noted that he is trying to buy as much wine from abroad as possible before the price increases take effect. But he does not plan to stock a larger share of domestic wines. “It’s a different quality level,” he said.
Harvard resident Ken Hoggins, who writes Ken’s Wine Guide online, said price increases for wine will affect him just like any other consumer. But he pointed out that suppliers do not ship wine during hot weather, so the higher prices may not hit the market before fall.
Hoggins had a surprising insight about another likely effect of the tariffs—rising insurance costs. Hoggins said his “day job” is insurance agent, and he expects to see sharp increases in the cost of property insurance. Building materials like lumber and steel often come from abroad, he explained, so the tariffs will raise the cost of rebuilding a house that has been damaged or destroyed. And insurers will raise the premiums they charge to cover those higher costs. The next percentage increase for insurance rates will be issued in July, he said.
After an earlier round of tariffs last month, the Harvard Press received a letter from its printer, Graphic Developments of Hanover, saying the tariffs would raise the cost of printing the newspaper. In a later phone call, Bob Damon, president of the company, explained that the aluminum for printing plates comes from Canada, and its cost is going up about 10%. As of this week, he had not yet figured out how much that increase would raise printing costs for the Press. Nearly all newsprint also comes from Canada, but so far it is not subject to a tariff.
Bill Mello, the chief operating officer for Maxant Honey Processing Equipment on Barnum Road in Devens, said the company buys all its stainless steel from a company in Kentucky. The brass and bronze fittings come from Minnesota, and the motors are made in Iowa. So the new tariffs will have “minimal effect” on the company’s costs, he said, “unless American manufacturers raise their prices” in response.
Mello said the United States and Canada are the biggest markets for Maxant’s honey extractors, filters, and bottlers. Asked whether the company would lose Canadian business if Canada imposed reciprocal tariffs, Mello said he doesn’t think so. He expects Maxant’s equipment will still be less expensive than its Canadian competitors.
Another local business that foresees few effects from the tariffs is Three Seasons Landscaping. Rob Hood, the office manager, said a few of the garden tools he sells are made in Canada, but most are from the U.S. Asked if prices for mulch or similar products would be affected, he said they would not.
Several other local businesses that might face price increases from the tariffs did not respond to requests for comment.