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Jeff LeDrew, founder and chief executive officer of Jumping Bean Coffee, headquartered in St. John’s, Nfld.

For most Canadians, a trade war with the United States is no fun, but Jeff LeDrew hopes to see at least a small jump in business.

He recently made a packaging change – labelling his product “Proudly Canadian.”

“We were right in the middle of the packaging change when the [escalating tariffs between the two countries] were announced,” says Mr. LeDrew, founder and chief executive officer of Jumping Bean Coffee, headquartered in St. John’s, Nfld.

On May 31, in response to a blistering attack by U.S. President Donald Trump, Canada announced $16.6-billion in tariffs on goods imported from the United States, including coffee.

“We didn’t realize at the time how much it could escalate,” Mr. LeDrew says. “We put ‘Proudly Canadian’ on our bags just to let consumers know what they’re buying.”

It’s still too early to tell how much of an impact the Made-in-Canada labelling will have on Jumping Bean brand.

The company, which has cafés in Newfoundland, only recently rolled out its K-cup pods to major grocery chains in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, and the tariffs on U.S. coffee will start to kick in after current stocks in grocery stores and cafés are used up.

Nevertheless, Mr. LeDrew says his “Proudly Canadian” label sends a positive message. It tells consumers that his product is roasted, packaged and distributed through Canadian facilities owned by a Canadian company – something not all competitors can say.

In fact, the origins and marketing of coffee in Canada are complicated. The beans are grown around the world and roasting and packaging happen all over the place – from hipster local coffee shops you can smell a block away to big international facilities, many based in the United States and therefore affected by the new tariff.

“There aren’t a lot of us left in the coffee business who are truly Canadian,” Mr. LeDrew says.

While many companies and coffee shops across the country boast Canadian credentials, it’s hard to tell what coffee is Canadian and what is not.

The most iconic Canadian brand, Tim Hortons, is owned by Restaurant Brands International of Brazil.

Hipster-edgy brand Kicking Horse Coffee, which originated and is still manufactured in British Columbia, sold an 80-per-cent stake for $215-million to Italian coffee conglomerate Lavazza earlier this year.

At the same time, Kicking Horse boasts, with accuracy, that it is still firmly rooted in Canada.

“One hundred per cent of our coffee is roasted and packaged in Invermere, B.C., and then shipped across North America,” says Kelsey Verboom, communications manager for Kicking Horse.

“Because we don’t import coffee from the U.S. to Canada, our coffee is not subject to current tariffs,” she says.

“Anecdotally, we have heard from a handful of people who have written to let us know that they are choosing to buy Canadian by purchasing our coffee. Others have tagged our coffee on social media alongside the hashtag #buycanadian,” Ms. Verboom adds.

A number of websites and blogs have sprung up to try and help Canadians contend with the tariff war and buy Canadian goods. But it is an interdependent world, so these sites’ definitions of what is Canadian are subjective.

Tariffs will likely affect the price of both a cup of coffee and a package at the store, for Canadians, but it’s still hard at this point to tell exactly how.

Most of the green, unroasted coffee that makes its way into Canada comes through the United States, the Coffee Council of Canada says. But more than 30 developing countries export unroasted coffee to Canada, to satisfy the two-thirds of adult Canadians who have at least one cup a day.

“While there are quite a few choices for Canadian, Swiss or Italian suppliers who produce coffee, this commodity is heavily brand-specific for many consumers. Most coffee drinkers rely on the same brand they have become accustomed to and will not shop for any other brands,” the Retail Council of Canada warned in June.

“Forcing these consumers to pay a higher premium for their favourite brand is a far more likely outcome than substitution ... Some of these coffee brands do not have facilities to produce in Canada and have not yet made plans to move production to Canada or to another country besides the U.S.” the council said.

Even if companies want to switch production to Canada, this could take up to eight months, the council added.

There are a few Canadian choices – local and regional chains, for example, and also Second Cup, which is Canadian owned and operated. Second Cup, by the way, is exploring expanding into the marijuana dispensary business after recreational cannabis became legal in Canada on Oct. 17.

Quebec-based Van Houtte is owned by a Montreal-headquartered firm, MTY Group Inc., which bought the coffee company from a U.S. parent in 2014.

At least one popular chain, Aroma Espresso Bar, offers a “Canadiano” coffee – more or less an Americano with frothy milk – but the company was actually founded in Israel.

And then there’s Starbucks, which Mr. LeDrew says roasts its coffee in central facilities based in the United States.

“I expect the tariff will apply to them,” he says.

Tariffs or otherwise, Mr. LeDrew says he is actually looking to expand Jumping Bean’s reach into the United States. He recently returned from a trade show in New York.

“The reception was fantastic,” he says.

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