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Tariffs made it a wild year for Minnesota baby products manufacturer
Tariffs raised import costs by 70%, causing a $35,000 bill and shipment delays that cut Black Friday sales by half, forcing Busy Baby to reduce operations and rely on overseas partners.
- On April 7, 2025, tariffs rose to 145%, disrupting Busy Baby's China-made shipment and forcing Beth Benike to face a $35,000 tariff; rates later fell to 70%.
- U.S. tariff policy exposed gaps in domestic manufacturing as President Donald Trump unveiled a new international economic strategy focused in part on China.
- Benike cashed retirement savings and did not pay herself for most of the year while her brother left and commercial tenants departed the Zumbrota, Minnesota warehouse.
- Black Friday cyber weekend sales fell about 50%, which Beth Benike linked to stockouts and the economy, hurting Busy Baby's national visibility and revenue.
- Recognition and foreign deals have provided backstops while domestic recovery lags, as Harvard Business School included a case on Busy Baby and the U.S. Small Business Administration named it Minnesota Business of the Year.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
Tariffs made it a wild year for Minnesota baby products manufacturer
ZUMBROTA, Minn. — Looking back at 2025 is like remembering a wild ride on a tariff-powered roller coaster for Beth Benike, the founder and CEO of Busy Baby. While her company is still operating today at the end of the year, she describes it as “hanging on by a thread.” That is very different from the high point at the start of the year. Benike and her 8-year-old company were soaring in early spring. In March, Busy Baby products appeared on shelv…
·Fargo, United States
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left0Leaning Right8Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution80% Right
Bias Distribution
- 80% of the sources lean Right
80% Right
C 20%
R 80%
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