Trump’s controversial tariffs have stolen the headlines across the globe for weeks now, but what does it mean for speciality coffee? And specifically, for Mexico’s coffee world?
We sat down with Maxime Pepinster, Co-founder at Edelmira Coffee, who shared a surprising perspective from inside Mexico - and how, unwittingly, Trump has actually given the Mexican coffee industry a boost.
When US President Donald Trump started his first term, Mexico was one of his main targets from word go - accused of stealing jobs, undermining American industry, and flooding the country with migrants. He vowed to tear up NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), renegotiate trade deals, and impose harsh tariffs.
Sure enough, he rebranded NAFTA into the ‘USMCA’ (United States Mexico Canada Agreement). But if you looked a little deeper beneath all the scary headlines, the bones of the agreement barely changed. The list of tariff-exempt goods - including Mexican green coffee and Canadian decaffeinated beans - remained untouched.
Like most commodities, coffee is produced in certain regions because it only grows there - but it's often consumed somewhere else. So there's always this question of, ‘why put tariffs on products that you wouldn't manufacture locally?’ Trump clearly agreed - and that worked in our favour.
Nearshoring boom
Then came the pandemic… and with it, the US started to look at its supply chains and the huge risks of bringing in products from places like Europe, Africa and Asia - where you have huge oceans between you.
This gave rise to what we call ‘nearshoring’: a rush of industries relocating operations from places like Asia to just south of the border, therefore reducing travel time and market volatility.
Since 2020, Car and electronic factories have multiplied and industries have flourished. In 2025 coffee producers began to feel the tide turning as well. Suddenly, US importers are flooding into Mexican farms, keen to negotiate contracts and keep business as close to home as possible.
Beans from Brazil, Africa and further afield were hit with harsh tariffs but Mexican coffee escaped them, all thanks to the agreement. Delivered by truck across a border, instead of an ocean, it not only came out as a better financial option - but a safer one too.
The irony of it all
So here’s the paradox: The president who blasted Mexico ended up strengthening it.
His policies, paired with the chaos of Covid, unintentionally benefitted Mexico’s business. The USMCA - which Trump himself signed - locked it in further and coffee, along with a number of other goods, was safe from tariffs.
Now, as Trump’s tariffs hit the headlines once again, Mexican exporters are seeing another spike in demand.
His approach this time round, I would say, is even more aggressive. But what we're seeing is once again, Mexico is highly criticised but coming out a winner. The agreement is already signed by Trump and Mexico is the only country in the world that can still import coffee in the US without any tariff.
We may not like him. He may never be invited to Mexico. But the impact? It’s not what we expected. It’s better.
But here’s the catch…
Despite the rush of buyers, many Mexican coffee producers remain cautious. The US has become unpredictable under Trump and who knows what’s round the corner?
You don't want to invest too much effort into building new relationships with a country which is this unpredictable. Most of us are still betting on Japan, Korea, and Europe - markets built on consistency, not chaos. Markets that understand that coffee isn’t just a commodity; it’s a relationship.
It’s a balancing act and essentially, we see it a bit like a good backup plan.
