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Ethan Frisch and Ori Zohar are the co-founders and co-CEOs of Burlap & Barrel, the lead plaintiff in Burlap and Barrel, Inc. v. Trump.<\/em><\/p>\n When we started Burlap & Barrel almost 10 years ago, we never imagined we\u2019d be suing the government. As a social enterprise, our mission is to provide unique and incredibly flavorful ingredients by connecting global spice farmers with American cooks, both at home and in professional kitchens.<\/p>\n But as a direct importer, we\u2019ve been struggling since \u201cLiberation Day\u201d last April, which set off a wave of sweeping, arbitrary tariffs. These policies punish both small businesses and home cooks for seeking ingredients imported from overseas\u2014which, in the case of spices, are often ingredients with no commercially produced domestic alternatives, like black pepper, vanilla, and cinnamon.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve had enough, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re suing the President of the United States.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been so much back and forth with the tariffs that it\u2019s hard to keep track of where things stand. Here\u2019s the current situation: The Supreme Court recently struck last April\u2019s tariffs down, but the administration immediately retaliated with new tariffs that begin at a shocking 10%. This policy existentially threatens our business and so many others who depend on relationships with trusted suppliers around the world. It will also inevitably force price increases for American consumers.<\/p>\n Burlap & Barrel\u2019s best-selling spices are grown only by smallholder farmers in other countries, under specific climate conditions unique to that place and using traditional agricultural methods not widely employed stateside. Our spices are also often made with heirloom varietals, like our royal cinnamon, aka the rare Vietnamese species Cinnamomum loureiroi<\/em>, and genuine Herbes de Provence from Provence, France, which the European Union has granted \u201cDesignation of Protected Origin\u201d status. Because of all these things, there are no comparable American-grown alternatives.<\/p>\n The Administration has cited Section 122, a little-known provision of federal trade law that allows temporary tariffs during a balance-of-payments crisis. Congress designed the law for emergencies affecting the nation\u2019s financial system, not as a general-purpose tool to impose sweeping tariffs. But that\u2019s how the law is being applied today. Our lawsuit argues that the President doesn\u2019t have the power to impose these tariffs, which create an unnecessary and possibly unbearable financial burden for independent companies like ours to bear.<\/p>\n The lawsuit has fallen to us because the big conglomerates are afraid to upset the administration by putting their names on a legal complaint. We\u2019re proud to stand up for small businesses across the country, and farmers around the world, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re pursuing this case with the nonprofit Liberty Justice Center.<\/p>\n The Boston Tea Party, as you may remember from history class, involved tossing crates of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the high taxes, or tariffs, imposed by King George. Sound familiar? Don\u2019t worry, the only body of water we\u2019ll be throwing spices is a pot of soup. But we\u2019re honored to follow in the storied American tradition of fighting to protect our rights as a small business.<\/p>\n