Lost Boy Cider founder feels the squeeze as tariff costs mount
Alexandria cidery among small businesses nationwide awaiting Supreme Court ruling on legality of emergency import taxes
Lost Boy Cider founder Tristan Wright is paying more for the aluminum cans that hold his specialty ciders — and he’s watching the Supreme Court closely for relief.
Wright, whose cidery operates in Alexandria, told States Newsroom that while he doesn’t pay tariffs directly, the rising cost of aluminum — driven by steep import duties on the metal — has forced price increases visible on his menu. China is the world’s largest aluminum producer, and tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump’s emergency trade powers have rippled through domestic supply chains.
“You don’t just snap your fingers and, like, create an aluminum plant,” Wright said during a Feb. 6 interview at the cidery, where his team was readying its spring specialty line ahead of Cherry Blossom Festival season.
Wright is among thousands of small business owners nationwide awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on whether the president’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping tariffs is legal. The court, which heard expedited arguments in November, is not scheduled to release opinions again until Feb. 20.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimated Trump’s tariff policies will cost the nation’s roughly 236,000 small businesses about $200 billion annually. The administration collected $195 billion in tariff revenue in 2025 — a figure Wright views with some resignation.
“They’re literally banking the future of the country on the tariffs,” he said.
This story is based on reporting by Ashley Murray of States Newsroom. Read the full story at Virginia Mercury.