CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — Next week, on August 1st, President Donald Trump is set to introduce a 25 percent tariff on several additional products coming from Mexico.
Local businesses like El Cisne, a restaurant on the corner of Sunrise and Swan in the Foothills, have already felt the impact of rising prices. Owner George Ferranti relies on ingredients from Mexico, specifically from Oaxaca and Chihuahua, to keep his menu authentic and delicious.
“To make sure that we have our recipes really sound and correct,” Ferranti said.
However, Ferranti has noticed a significant hike in prices this year, with tequila and produce such as tomatoes and avocados now costing him 25 to 40 percent more. This increase is making it tough to keep his restaurant profitable.
“So that takes almost my little slim restaurant profit down to nothing,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Ferranti believes in the value of maintaining good relations with Mexican suppliers.
“To have allies, to have friends, and not to disrupt established long-standing relationships,” he added.
Recently, Pima County Economic Development held an event in Tucson with business and government leaders from Mexico to foster these connections. Director Heath Vescovi-Chiordi even traveled to Tijuana to discuss opportunities for collaboration.
“So they can either invest in expansion or attraction of new companies into the county,” Heath explained.
Heath said Pima County is focusing on industries where there’s potential for growth, including aerospace and defense, healthcare, medical devices and the automotive industry.
With lots of growth happening in those fields right now, the County is hoping they can attract those industries from Mexico to Pima County.
While President Trump’s economic strategies have been known to change, Heath and his team are mitigating it.
“We’re educating them as much as possible about what’s happening here and vice-versa so that we can make those connections appropriately,” he said.
Looking towards the future, Pima County is eager to strengthen business relationships with Mexico.
“Just to maintain that positive relationship and open that relationship up a little bit more every single day through these discussions and efforts,” Heath stated.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
