BATON ROUGE — Coffee prices are soaring, and local business owners say it’s hitting their bottom line.

Over the past several months, the cost of coffee beans has nearly tripled. Amber Elworth, owner of Light House Coffee on Lee Drive, said she used to pay $2.60 per pound for coffee beans. Now, even the cheapest beans cost her around $6.40.

“It’s really hard because we haven’t tripled our prices on the menu, and so it’s tight,” she said.

Brazil supplies a major portion of the world’s coffee, and recent U.S. tariffs — once as high as 70 percent, now around 50 percent — have pushed prices even higher.

“The majority of the coffee that we sell is espresso, and our espresso is almost 80% from Brazil,” Elworth explained.

Elworth said she’s trying to absorb as much of the increase as possible, though some drinks now cost close to $10.

“It is pushing $9 to $10 on some of our drinks, but for our standard drip or cappuccino, we want to keep those at a reasonable price. Otherwise, people aren’t going to come to buy coffee,” she said.

Nationwide, coffee prices have risen nearly 21 percent over the past year, the largest increase since the 1990s. Analysts say tariffs and droughts in top coffee-growing countries like Brazil and Vietnam are fueling the spike.

“I’m told by business professionals that this shouldn’t last forever. So I’m also trying to hold on to hope for that,” Elworth said.

Despite the challenges, Elworth says she won’t sacrifice quality.

“For us to call ourselves a specialty coffee shop, we have to keep serving specialty-grade coffee,” she said. “We’ll probably try to get more creative before we compromise the quality of our coffee.”

Competing with national chains only adds to the pressure, but Elworth said she is determined to keep Light House Coffee running and keep her prices as fair as possible for customers.