Updated on 11/20/25.
Good news for the coffee world! On Friday, November 14, the White House announced that most coffee categories have now been exempted from the additional “reciprocal tariffs” introduced earlier this year. On Thursday, November 20, another Executive Order was issued, which removed the 40% tariff on many agricultural goods from Brazil, including coffee. There is still a possibility that coffee from Nicaragua may be subject to tariffs next year as part of a separate investigation into unfair trade practices. We will continue to monitor developments and update you as information becomes available.
What does this mean for roasters and buyers? Green coffee from almost all major origins is no longer subject to those added tariffs.
Our current understanding is that all green and decaffeinated coffee that entered U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on or after 12:01 AM Thursday, November 13, will be exempt from the reciprocal tariffs. Coffee entered before that time retains its previous tariff.
Please note:
- Our team will continue to FIFO spot inventory as quickly as possible to get most of these tariffed lots behind us.
- Our Offer List pricing structure will remain unchanged. Atlas will continue to process spot and forward orders as before, adding any applicable tariffs for landed, already-tariffed inventory as a line item on sales invoices.
This rollback removes a major source of pressure for U.S. roasters and importers during what has been a tight and unpredictable market. We’re grateful for the shift — and especially appreciative of the National Coffee Association for its advocacy on behalf of the industry.
We’ll continue watching developments closely and will share updates as soon as we have them.
Thank you, as always, for your trust and your partnership!