Kristen Tolleheimer-Bingham

Tariffs for cocoa ended in mid-November of last year, so not that long ago.

And even though the tariffs aren't in place right now, the chocolate we're using now to make our products was purchased when the tariffs were active.

So we really haven't escaped the tariffs, not yet anyway.

We had to raise our prices last fall because of the tariffs and the increase in the cost of chocolate.

And so we are living now with the effects of both of those things.

We are starting to see price resistance with some customers.

So that means even more than in the past, we think about every penny and every dime.

Future tariffs, if they came back at a higher rate, could be the one cost that could be too much for us.

Right now, the concern we're hearing from our suppliers is more about the availability of chocolate.

it's been and still is quite touch and go.

Our suppliers can't always get what they order or even predict what will be available a month from now.

Dean and I are generally optimistic people.

We don't see a day when tariffs will be the thing that hurts our business most.

That may not be true for our neighbors or for other businesses we know and work with.

So we might worry more about that.

And at the same time,

We're also witnessing how consumers respond to higher and higher prices.

We may be on the edge now, and if we get hit with tariffs again, something would have to give.