Pittsburg, PA
Rise in bean prices could negatively affect Pittsburgh-area coffeehouses, consumers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Concern remains that increased tariffs on Colombia could mean an increase in the cost of coffee in the U.S.
In the Strip District, you’ll find several places to grab a cup of coffee, and inside Caffe Mona, you’ll see many people enjoying warm drinks.
“Different types of coffee drinks like lattes, cappuccinos,” said Caffe Mona server, Betsa Ocando.
Now, the beans behind those caffeinated beverages hit a record high cost. According to Trading Economics Arabica, coffee futures set a record high for the closing price on Monday at around $3.45 per pound. This is all fueled by supply concerns and growing tensions overseas.
Monday’s closing price spike shows trade uncertainties after President Trump posted on social media.
On Sunday, he claimed he would raise a 25% tariff against Colombia to 50% on all goods coming to America after one week. He made those tariff threats against Colombia for initially blocking the arrival of deported migrants from the U.S. on military planes.
While it didn’t change the prices yet, KDKA-TV spoke to many about how much a price increase would impact Pittsburghers.
“It will definitely affect a lot of people,” said Ocando.
Hundreds of people frequent Caffe Mona and Allegheny Coffee and Tea Exchange every day.
“Hopefully, it won’t be too bad, but we just kind of have to see,” Allegheny Coffee and Tea Exchange barista Mitchell Delong said.
The price of coffee beans increased significantly from March to now.
“We try to keep our prices regulated for that. We go down, we go up, depending on what it is,” Delong said. “It’s kind of scary because maybe this could be a precursor, you know? We get coffee from everywhere, all over the world. You know, this is Colombia, what’s going to happen in a couple of months, a year from now?”
A tight coffee bean supply escalates the costs even more.
Brazil is the top coffee bean producer and has seen a lack of rainfall in key coffee bean areas. It’s a potential pinch on the pocketbook, but customers may be willing to consume to get their morning brews.
Last year, Americans received nearly 30 billion scam robocalls and text messages. Now, leaders in Pennsylvania are taking a new approach to try to crack down on them.
“It’s not just certain audiences that are targeted in this space. It’s really everybody,” said Kate Sullivan, CEO of Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania. “Robocalling is just faster and more aggressive than it’s ever been,” Sullivan said.
The prevalence, exacerbated by artificial intelligence, is why 49 attorneys general across the country sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission to strengthen its rules to prevent scammers from accessing legitimate phone numbers.
“You have individuals that will purchase maybe 100,000 different phone numbers,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “Those numbers will land somewhere where you have a nefarious actor who will use those numbers to do the robocalls.”
Sunday is part of the Anti-Robocall Task Force, along with West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey. Last year, the coalition sent warning letters to major phone service providers to stop allowing illegal robocalls to reach consumers. Now they’re building on this by going directly to the FCC.
“The consumer matters, and we want to make sure that our constituents, the consumers that are in our states’ voices, are being heard at the highest level as loudly as they can be,” McCuskey said.
Sunday said they want to put more onus on companies to not sell these numbers, and if they do, to have documentation that can be provided to law enforcement so they can trace back and hold the scammers accountable.
KDKA-TV reached out to the FCC for comment. A spokesperson said in part that they “welcome this input from state leaders.” They also mentioned, “The Commission proposed expanding certification and disclosure requirements to all providers that receive telephone numbering resources… to stop scammers from exploiting gaps in the system.”
“Getting ahead of it and more protections for the consumers, I think, does have quite a bit of value,” Sullivan said.
As for what you can do, the BBB and AGs said it’s better to let a robocall go to voicemail. If you decline it, that indicates you’re a real person and may get more calls. Also, make sure to report robocalls to the BBB or the Federal Trade Commission.
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