Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.
President Donald Trump’s tariffs are hiking prices at the San Jose downtown farmers market, but most vendors say the impact has been more subtle than substantial.
So far.
The dozen small business people selling at the market on June 18 at the Paseo de San Antonio said they’ve had to raise prices slightly due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration this year. But vendors are concerned that the government may impose more tariffs that will further increase their costs.
Nou Khang, a vendor and producer for her family business Xiong Farm Produce, pointed to one cost increase.
“It used to be $25 for a box of plastic bags, now it has gone up to $30,” Khang said.
Tariffs have been placed on materials like polyethylene and polypropylene, which are components in the production of plastic bags.
Even though prices are increasing, customers have found ways to help small community vendors deal with the rising cost, such as bringing their own bags and giving extra plastic bags to vendors to minimize the cost, according to Khang.
“Nowadays a lot of people just bring out their own bags, which is really helpful and nice, but we still have to provide them just in case,” Khang said.
Khang has been harvesting and selling red peppers, snap peas, carrots, potatoes and other vegetables and fruits from her family’s Fresno County farm since she was 13 years old. She said her father is the one who has put in a lot of work and dedication to keep their business alive. Even if tariffs increase, Khang said she intends to keep her prices the same.
“I tend to leave the price of our produce the same because it’s not worth me raising it,” Khang said.
Henry Mejea, of ALD & Y Organic Farm, said they’ve raised the prices of some of their produce, due to rising cost of plastic bags.
For example, a $5 box of strawberries costs more because of the substantially increased cost of bags, he said.
Though prices have increased, Mejea said everyone in the San Jose farmers market community shows up not only to sell their products, but also to support fellow vendors through difficult times.
The San Jose Downtown Association started the farmers market in 1993. It closed in 2022, then reopened at its new location at Hammer Theatre Plaza last April. The market runs from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Other costs have been escalating. Kate Manley, a vendor for Valley Toffee, said the price of international chocolates has gone up 400% in two years.
“Chocolate prices have definitely been changing astronomically,” she said. “There are a lot of brands that buy stuff through worldwide trades,” said Manley.
In recent weeks, Valley Toffee has felt some trickle-down effects of tariffs.
“One of our flavors, butterscotch pretzel, has jumped pricewise in the past weeks and has become a lot harder to find,” Manley said.
With tariffs affecting their inventory, Valley Toffee has raised the prices on some of their chocolates from $15 to $16 or $17. Manley said this trend would likely continue if tariffs rise.
Maria Lopez, a vendor for her family’s farm, Lopez Family Farm in Fresno County, has not been too concerned about the tariffs because her farms are located in California. But she worries about labor.
“We have had to raise our prices by 50 cents to cover the cost of the labor in the fields,” Lopez said.
Grayson LaBarreare is a member of the class of 2026 at Christopher High School in Gilroy.