Harry Root is the President of Grassroots Wine Company, a business he co-founded in 2003. Recently, Harry has become effectively a distributor by day and a lobbyist by night as he has put his company on hold and dedicated himself to canvassing as many members of Congress on Capitol Hill as possible about recently proposed wine tariffs. In a short eight week span, Harry's passionate educational and personal message has gone viral, making Harry an industry legend.
Recently, there have been two tariff packages proposed by the Trump Administration which are deeply impacting the wine industry. The first is the French Digital Service tax that saw sparkling wine from France taxed at 100%, and the second is the Airbus tariff dispute that sees the wine import industry hit by a 25% tariff on wines imported from select countries in the EU, including France. Harry Roots of Grassroots Wine Company has been at the forefront of the lobbying efforts against these tariffs in Washington D.C.
In his conversation with Alexi, Harry talks about the efforts so far and why the diplomatic handshake of Presidents Trump and Macron paused the 100% tariff but did not make it go away. Harry also shares why he decided to take on the lobbying efforts and the successes recorded so far and at what cost. As the U.S Trade Representative announces its decision, Alexi asked Harry about his expectations and the next steps. Stay tuned to this exciting episode!
