REPORT. Its simply chaos: in the United States, a chocolate factory seeks to recover customs duties that it should not have paid.

In February, the Supreme Court ruled illegal the massive tariffs imposed by Donald Trump’s administration on numerous imported products. The federal government now must refund around $166 billion to American businesses. While larger companies can navigate this administrative chaos, it’s a different story for small business owners. In Georgia, one of the hardest-hit states, a “small” entrepreneur, a chocolatier from Atlanta, is on the front line.

To import his raw materials, Matt Weyandt has to partner with other small manufacturers like himself. Sugar comes from Brazil, cocoa from small cooperatives in Tanzania, Uganda, Peru, Nicaragua. When these tariffs were added to the rising costs of raw materials, his finances took a hit. “Just for cocoa, we probably paid between $15,000 and $20,000 in tariffs last year,” he estimates.

While the prospect of a refund seems promising on paper, he doesn’t have the human resources for it. “We don’t have armies of lawyers or staff to handle the paperwork and do everything necessary to try to get refunds,” explains the chocolatier. “I have no illusions. I have no idea how long it will take, or even the exact nature of the procedure.”

“There is a lot of uncertainty and confusion about how the system operates and the reimbursement procedures,” comments a chocolatier from Atlanta, as cited by franceinfo.

With this situation, it’s impossible to plan for investment. For example, a machine to package the bars? Impossible, as they are produced in Europe and are too expensive. “It’s just chaos,” says Matt Weyandt. “There is a lot of uncertainty about the tariff rate applicable to each country and each product. This does not make decisions easier. I think almost all businesses are facing this. We work with many local companies in the food industry, coffee roasters. They are obviously facing the same kind of situation.”

“Everyone is suffering,” assures the chocolatier. He attributes the blame to the state’s leader, Donald Trump. “I don’t think his policy helped small businesses at all. Perhaps he helped some big oil companies, AI giants, and things like that,” says Matt. Let’s not talk about tariffs, he concludes, but about taxes on American SMEs.