Thane_Bitter That’s just nonsense. Once you start making the product somewhere else, it no longer qualifies as Italian coffee. To me, “Italian coffee”, by definifion, has to come from Italy, and conform to European standards. There is no way to know what sort of beans will be used, nor where they will be from, once U.S. production begins.
It was the same with Barilla pasta. Many of their products are now U.S.-made, and it’s not the same. North American wheat is different, to begin with. As far as I’m concerned, those boxes can no longer claim “#1 in Italy”, as it isn’t the same product. The only exceptions are the products that are still actually made in Italy (there are a few).
If I want “Italian” pasta (or coffee), then, without exception, it has to be made in Italy. The same brand starting production somewhere else, with different workers, ingredients and processes won’t give the same product. As with the pasta, I will just find another brand that is still made where it should be, even if it costs more. The others are just inferior imitations, with some having permission to use the same brand name.
Thane_Bitter This move should make the product cost less since import tariffs would not apply, but I suspect the price you pay will be unchanged to allow for higher profits.
That depends; since they won’t suddenly be using U.S.-grown coffee beans, I don’t know that it will affect the cost of raw materials that much. Much like Barilla, though, I suspect you are right. The now-inferior stuff likely won’t sell to us at a lower price than when it was actually half-decent.