EMERYVILLE, Calif. — July 1, 2026 — Royal Coffee today announced that it has begun issuing IEEPA Tariff Credits to customers who purchased green coffee during the 2025 IEEPA tariff period, as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) returns the duties Royal paid. At the same time, its Oakland tasting room, The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room, will temporarily reduce coffee drink prices to return the IEEPA duties it paid on coffee served during the affected period.
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For seven months in 2025, green coffee imported into the United States was subject to tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Those duties became part of the landed cost of imported coffee and were reflected in the prices customers paid. After court rulings invalidated the tariff program, CBP established a process for importers to recover eligible duties. Royal Coffee filed claims as the process became available and has now begun receiving recovered duties on approved claims.
“We could have kept this money. There is no legal mandate to return any of it. After 48 years in business, that was never going to be our choice,” said Max Nicholas-Fulmer, CEO of Royal Coffee.
To date, CBP has begun returning duties on 927 coffee lots, with additional claims in process. In total, Royal Coffee is actively pursuing recovery on 1,044 coffee lots through a combination of direct filings and claims made through other importers of record. As duties are returned, affected customers receive IEEPA Tariff Credits identifying the coffee, lot number, invoice, weight, tariff rate per pound, and total credit amount.
‘The Crown is applying the same principle to its café customers. Because drinks sold in the tasting room cannot be matched to individual invoices, The Crown will reduce the price of every coffee beverage by 25 cents for approximately 60 days, reflecting the roughly $2,500 in IEEPA duties paid on the coffee it served during the affected period. Royal Coffee has published the full methodology behind that calculation. “The Crown isn’t just a coffee shop, it’s a place to learn. We hope the menu discount opens opportunities for discussions about transparency and responsibility in the coffee supply chain between coffee producers, roasters, baristas, and everyday coffee drinkers alike,” said Chris Kornman, The Director of Education at The Crown.
Founded in 1978, Royal Coffee is an independent, family-owned specialty green coffee importer serving roasters throughout North America with teams in Emeryville, Oakland, Canada, China, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We import coffee from up to 30 different origin countries per year and maintain SPOT and forward positions in three different countries.
Customers who purchased green coffee from Royal Coffee during the IEEPA tariff period will be contacted by the company as credits are issued.
For additional information:
• Royal Coffee, “Issuing IEEPA Tariff Credits to Our Customers”
• The Crown, “Why We’re Temporarily Reducing Our Coffee Drink Prices,” including the full methodology
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