| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 4, 2025 Contact: [email protected] Raleigh Small Business Owners Sound Alarm on Tariffs Tariffs Cost Us Announces New College Football Ad Campaign The Trump Administration’s across-the-board tariffs are raising prices for consumers, increasing costs for businesses, and forcing small companies to make difficult choices about their future. Since April, tariffs of 10%–50% have been imposed on nearly all imports, with higher rates for dozens of industries. The average tariff rate now tops 18.6%, the highest since 1933. On a press call today hosted by Tariffs Cost US, Raleigh-area small business owners shared firsthand how these tariffs are hitting their operations and hurting their customers.  From left to right: Sam Ratto, Founder of Videri Chocolate Factory and Joshua Esnard, Founder & CEO of The Cut Buddy “Running a small business is already an uphill battle, and tariffs are making it nearly impossible to stay competitive, let alone grow,” said Joshua Esnard, Founder & CEO of The Cut Buddy. “I faced a 150% tariff on goods that just hit the water. Imagine that—your product’s already in transit, and suddenly you owe more than double what you expected. That kind of hit can break a small company overnight.” “Chocolate is getting hit on both ends—raw ingredients and finished products,” said Sam Ratto, Founder of Videri Chocolate Factory. “Our cacao beans from the Dominican Republic used to cost $5,800 per ton. Now we’re paying over $15,000 a ton. These are not costs we can pass off. Small makers like me are stuck holding an expensive bag.” Tariffs Cost Us announced a new college football ad campaign that highlights how tariffs are hurting fan experience with higher costs. The campaign will launch September 6 for the Virginia vs. NC State game in Raleigh and will include an airplane banner flying over the stadium on game day, mobile billboards around tailgates and a targeted digital ad buy. Ad Examples:    ### About Tariffs Cost US Tariffs Cost US is a new campaign dedicated to providing the public with reliable, comprehensive information about global trade and tariffs, and their impact on both businesses and consumers. More information is available at https://tariffscostus.com/. |
