By Andrea Shalal and Aleksandra Michalska
WASHINGTON/WEST CALDWELL, New Jersey (Reuters) - Ambriola Co Inc’s mammoth warehouse in West Caldwell, New Jersey, is crammed full of boxes and wheels of harder cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano and Grana Padano - and more is coming, lots more.
Phil Marfuggi, president and chief executive officer of Ambriola, a unit of Auricchio SpA, one of Italy’s largest cheese producers, is among the many importers and shop owners across the country who are scrambling to stockpile European cheeses before new U.S. tariffs kick in on Oct. 18 in efforts to shield consumers from price hikes.
The Trump administration on Wednesday slapped 25% tariffs on cheese and other European Union products ranging from whisky to woolens, in retaliation for EU subsidies on large aircraft. Both sides say they are open to negotiations, but trade experts see little chance of averting the duties - at least in the short run.
Importers began ordering millions of dollars of extra wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano and other harder cheeses after the U.S. Trade Representative’s office in July added cheese to its list of EU products potentially facing tariffs due to the dispute over aircraft subsidies.
“When that list came out, that’s when I ... started bringing in many more containers of cheese of Reggiano, Provolone,” said Marfuggi, who has another 21 shipping containers full of cheese en route to be added to the stockpile in the company’s warehouse in Caldwell, which sits about 15 miles west of Manhattan.
Marfuggi said he ordered an extra $15 million
