6 days Ago
Tom Ruff, second from left, speaks Monday about how tariffs are impacting his brewery, Orange Bike Brewing Co., at the business in Portland. Also speaking about the impacts of tariffs are from left, Will McIntee, Ruff, Travis Blake, Mark Ferguson, Andi Robbins, Mary Chapman and Quincy Hentzel.
Ruff’s 8-year-old daughter, Lula Ruff, is in the foreground. Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald Since a 25% tariff on aluminum kicked in this month, the price Orange Bike Brewing Co. pays for a flat of 6,224 cans made in Canada has increased $31.
That might not sound like much, but it’s a lot for a successful startup that’s looking to triple its production as one of only 14 gluten-free breweries in the U.S. It’s even more troubling when many breweries are already struggling to survive.
“Our highest cost is packaging,” said Tom Ruff, founder and CEO of Orange Bike. “Multiply it over and over again, it’s significant, especially for a small brewery like us.” Ruff speaks about how tariffs are affecting his brewery, Orange Bike Brewing Co.
, at the business in Portland. Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald The Portland brewer hosted a press conference Monday with other Maine business owners who are raising alarm about the devastating impacts of President Donald Trump’s hard-hitting and unpredictable tariff maneuvers . “What’s been so hard is the uncertainty and the rapid and massive fluctuations every single day on the the tariffs,” Ruff said.
“We would love to see manufacturing happen here, but it’s not a quick fix,” he said. “We don’t have the supply in the United States right now, and the tariffs are now.” This story will be updated.
Tariffs force Maine businesses, municipalities into an uncertain future Comments are no longer available on this story Send questions/comments to the editors..
