Maine business owners raise alarm about tariff impacts [Video]

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 by $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.”

The Portland brewer hosted a news 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 tariffs,” Ruff said.

“We would love …