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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 A P R I L 2 1 , 2 0 2 5 TRUSTED THROUGH GENERATIONS sbsavings.bank | (207) 284-4591 Photo provided by McArthur Public Library P O L I T I C S & C O. Tariff chaos sets off backlash from small business owners B y R e n e e C o r d e s S igns that tariffs are damaging the business climate in Maine multiplied, with the owners of several small businesses offering firsthand accounts of rising prices, canceled orders and other effects of President Donald Trump's trade policies. As of April 1, Orange Bike Brewing is paying half a cent more per can — or $30 more per pallet of 6,000 cans — from its Canadian supplier. Packaging is the biggest cost for the maker of gluten-free beer. CEO Tom Ruff, who founded the brewery in 2023, said the increase on can prices is likely a response to the new 25% U.S. tariff on Canadian aluminum products, including empty cans, which took effect April 2. "It may seem like a small amount, but factor that in and multiply it over and over again at scale," Ruff said at a press conference he hosted April 14 at his brewery in Portland. "It's significant, especially to a small brewery like us." No input The event was held as part of a nationwide grassroots campaign called Tariffs Cost US that aims to provide the public with reliable, comprehensive information about global trade and tariffs and their impact on businesses and consumers. Quincy Hentzel, president and CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, said that while businesses in general want predictability, what they're getting instead is confusion, disruption and chaos. "The tariffs are being rolled out rapidly and without much warning, and it just feels like they're being decided without any inputs from the people who are actually getting impacted," she said. Other war stories A South Portland axe maker, Mark Ferguson at Brant & Cochran LLC, said a Canadian retailer canceled an order. "And I get it," Ferguson said. "So my ex-customer will now buy axes from my Swedish competitor." At Portland-based Sissle & Daughters Cheesemongers & Grocers, owned by married couple Mary Chapman and Will Sissle, tariffs "forced [the company] to cut back on the variety of the products that we sell from small-scale produc- ers," Chapman said. "Once these products go away because of tariffs, they very often don't come back to the United States, because we're putting small farmers, small cheese- makers out of business whether we know it or not," she warned. Tom Ruff, founder and CEO of Orange Bike Brewing, hosted a press conference about the impact of tariffs on small businesses in Maine. P H O T O / R E N E E C O R D E S

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