38 consumer startup founders lobby over Trump tariffs: One faces a surprise $200K bill

Small businesses could be crushed under President Trump’s increased tariffs, according to an open letter by 38 female consumer product founders.

While Trump paused his tariff increases for 90 days for various countries – setting the rate at 10% for now – China’s was raised to 145%, which includes the previous 20% levy.

In the letter, published Thursday, these founders urged Trump and Congress to back off the tariff increases, at least until small businesses can find affordable supply chain alternatives. Short of that, they want exemptions for small businesses.

The letter was written by Allison Luvera, founder of Juliet Wine, a startup that sells upscale boxed wine direct to consumers. Luvera tells TechCrunch that she faces a surprise $200,000 bill, annually, because she’s buying a key packaging component from overseas and has no U.S. alternative.

The letter documents a few other such problems, such as a home-cleaning brand that must source its refillable pouches from overseas for lack of immediate U.S. options. Tariffs threaten to increase the costs of that bit of packaging by 80%.

The group of 38 say their businesses generate $800 million annually, employ thousands, and source supplies from both domestic and international manufacturers. They point out that tariffs land more heavily on small businesses.

“Unlike large corporations, small businesses lack the leverage to renegotiate supply chain contracts, the margins to absorb steep costs increases, or the capital required to rapidly reconfigure global supply chains,” Luvera wrote.

This group wants other small business owners – and anyone else concerned about the economic impact – to help them lobby Congress. They’re asking for a small business assessment – so the government knows the impact. Ideally, they would like small businesses to be exempt from such tariff increases. Failing that, they are lobbying for “grants, tax incentives, or technical assistance” in helping U.S. small businesses solve their supply chain pain caused by Trump’s trade policies.

Among the signatories is designer Rebecca Minkoff and Alison Wyatt of the Female Founder Collective. Others include: Emily Doyle and Mei Kwok of Dune Suncare and Yanghee Paik of Rael.