Current Policy on 15% Tea Tariff

‍TARIFF NOW IN EFFECT

Starting September 1st, 2019, Firsd Tea began paying a 15% tariff on teas imported from China to the US.

In order to shield our valued customers from the effects of the current 15% tariff on Chinese tea, Firsd Tea is making every effort to avoid raising prices.

PLEASE NOTE

It is our intention to avoid raising prices and passing the tariff to customers unless absolutely necessary. Our ability to delay a price increase is largely dependent on our inventory brought in pre-tariff.

OUR POLICY

Toward the end of October 2019, Firsd Tea will:

1. Review status of our tea inventory in the US, including inventories of teas brought in before and after the tariffs were enacted
2. Review the status of trade negotiations and tariff changes. The US and China are scheduled to resume trade negotiations in October
3. Determine if any changes in prices are necessary

WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING

The tariffs were initially scheduled to begin in June, and Firsd Tea testified at hearings in Washington, DC, in opposition to the tariff on Chinese tea imports. You can read more about the tariff developments and Firsd Tea testimony.

Read more about Firsd Tea's work to oppose the tariff:
https://blog.firsdtea.com/posts/firsd-tea-responds-to-proposed-china-tea-tariffs

Subsequently, Firsd Tea made efforts to reduce the impact of any tariff by taking preventative measures, including:

1. Adding further supply of high-priority teas in our U.S. warehouses before tariffs came into effect,
2. Providing alternative or flexible options to our customers on a case-by-case basis, including contract purchases with locked-in pricing and reserved quantities,
3. Despite our best efforts, tariffs have gone into effect, and Firsd Tea is monitoring the current situation to protect our valued customers as much as possible.

Please CONTACT US to find out more about how Firsd Tea is working to protect the US tea industry from China tea tariffs.For more information contact:

Jason Walker
Marketing Director
jason.walker@firsdtea.com
201-528-7916