U.S. tea market faces challenges amid tariff threat: industry insider

An industry insider warned that the U.S. government's tariff policy will pose significant challenges to the tea market in the United States, highlighting concerns about rising costs for importers and the potential for decreased consumer demand due to higher prices.

Amid widespread opposition, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order on the so-called reciprocal tariffs, imposing a 10-percent minimum baseline tariff and higher rates on certain trading partners.

During an interview with China Media Group (CMG), Peter Gangi, chairman of the Tea Association of the USA, emphasized that the United States ranks as the world's third-largest tea importer.

While U.S. tea imports have generally trended upward in recent years, impending tariff policy changes are anticipated to drive tea prices higher, potentially dampening sales volumes. "Consumers are price sensitive and if importers and packers are required to raise the price because of the tariffs, then the consumer may look at it and say, well, I'm not sure this presents the value. So, [there are] still some questions involved. But clearly tariffs don't lower prices. Tariffs will raise prices, generally speaking," Gangi said.

He noted that for small and medium-sized enterprises relying on imported tea, balancing costs and market demand will be a major challenge in the near future. Some of these enterprises have already begun adjusting their formulas and stockpiling goods to mitigate the impact of tariffs.

The Tea Association of the USA has also sent letters to relevant institutions, urging the government to carefully consider the unique characteristics of the tea industry and the interests of consumers when formulating trade policies.

"We've written letters to various agencies, we've written to the U.S. Trade representative, we've written to the government, etc. But we are such a small part of total imports into the U.S. that our voice tends to get lost. So, the only response we have is to encourage our members to write to their representatives and write to the government agencies themselves. One doesn't get replies from the government generally speaking, other than a thank you for sending your note," Gangi said.

U.S. tea market faces challenges amid tariff threat: industry insider

U.S. tea market faces challenges amid tariff threat: industry insider

U.S. tea market faces challenges amid tariff threat: industry insider

U.S. tea market faces challenges amid tariff threat: industry insider

The death toll from the nightclub collapse in the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo has reached 225, with several victims succumbing to their injuries at hospitals this Saturday.

The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday during a concert by merengue singer Rubby Perez at the Jet Set nightclub, and the singer was among those killed in the incident, his manager said. His funeral, attended by President Luis Abinader and Latin music icon Juan Luis Guerra, took place on Thursday.

Among the victims, the tragedy took a particularly devastating toll on "Los Dorados," a close-knit group of seniors from the town of Haina who had gathered that night to celebrate decades of friendship.

Seventeen members of "Los Dorados" were at the club, joined by Perez, who also grew up in Haina and had returned to perform for longtime friends.

"It felt like an explosion, a horrifying blast. I didn't walk out. I was hurled outside by the force, thrown like the wind. My friend, I thought she was crushed, broken, because she emerged covered in water and blood. You could hear people wailing, crying for help. My sister was in there," said Ofelia Roy, a survivor of the blast.

Roy was the one who noticed warning signs before the collapse.

"I went to talk to security, told them pieces of the ceiling were falling, that the roof was peeling off. He brushed it off. But it wasn't normal at all. It had started peeling in the morning, and they had been sweeping up the debris. And then, when I turned to check if my sister was behind me, right then, the explosion came," she said.

The collapse also took away three family members' lives of Domingo Guillen, another member of the "Los Dorados."

"At Jet Set, they were going to honor Rubby Perez. But also, my sister was celebrating her birthday. Since she was one of us, he dedicated the party to her, to all of us. I lost two siblings and my brother-in-law," he said.

Jet Set is a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo that regularly hosts dance music concerts on Monday evenings.

Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, on Tuesday declared three days of national mourning to honor the victims, while an investigation to determine the cause of the deadly collapse is already underway.

Death toll in Dominican nightclub collapse reaches 225