The on-again, off-again tariff hikes are ping-ponging as lawsuits make their way through the courts.
A federal appeals court has put a pause on a lower court ruling from Wednesday that would have forced the White House to remove duties deemed to be illegal.
With all the back and forth, it’s no surprise that tariffs took center stage at a meeting this month of the National Association of District Export Councils in Washington, D.C.
In attendance were Hawaiʻi representatives, including the new chair of the Hawaiʻi Pacific Export Council, Byron Goo.
He happens to be in the business of tea. He's the chief tea officer at Tea Chest Hawaii, which gives him the perspective of a business owner facing down the barrel of trade wars triggered by President Donald Trump’s move to shake up trade.
“We don't have any tea industry domestic production in the U.S.,” Goo said. “One of my passion projects is to see a local tea industry bubble up and grow to something that would complement our world-renowned coffee industry here in Hawaiʻi, but that's a very long process.”
Goo said that most of their base products are imported, and he prefers to bring in teas from India as opposed to China.
“A lot of raw goods are being affected by these tariffs, which we have to decide as manufacturers, do we pass it on? Do we absorb it? How do we cope with this increase in cost of doing business?”
He explained that this year’s National Association of District Export Councils conference was very chaotic.
“The mood was a little bit nervous. The mood was a little bit of an uncertainty. And for sure, a lot of people were talking more about the imports than about the exports of goods because of the tariffs.”
The Hawaiʻi Pacific Export Council recently sent out a survey to its members, which range from manufacturers to retailers.
Goo shared that 80% of the businesses that responded said they're being affected in some way, shape or form.
“What happened a week ago could be changed by an executive order next week,” Goo told HPR. “I think it's important to stay the course, to not panic in this kind of environment, and just make sure that we support the people that support us.
"In other words, at the community level, continue to do business with the people you do business with and you trust. And then even internationally, continue to support the people who have supported our business and helped us to get to where we want to go.”
This interview aired on The Conversation on May 29, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
