Most Brazilian fruit exports to the U.S. received an exemption from the new 25% tariff announced by the U.S. Trade Representative on July 15, but grapes were explicitly left on the affected products list. The tariff hit comes at a sensitive time, as Brazil is also facing the potential for additional Section 301 tariffs that could push the total levy on some exports to 37.5%.
Brazil has been growing as a source of table grapes for the U.S. market, and this tariff creates a real cost disadvantage versus other import origins. Category managers sourcing grapes for fall and winter programs should factor in the added duty when modeling landed costs from Brazilian shippers.
Watch for whether the exemption list gets updated in subsequent rounds and how Brazilian exporters respond — either by absorbing cost or redirecting supply to other markets. The third USMCA review round beginning July 21 adds another layer of trade uncertainty worth tracking in parallel.