Tariffs force some Utah business owners to rethink supply, manufacturing sources

LOGAN — LJ Wilde's business blossomed out of an idea to help his 12-year-old daughter, Luci, join the family on the hiking trail. He created what he calls the Cascade Cart, founding Huckleberry Hiking. Wilde said the now 1-year-old business has helped many more families across all 50 states, and 22 countries do the same thing.

"There's 1,100 of these families that have this new freedom," Wilde said. "And there's thousands of other families that have that same need, that same desire, same passion."

Now, Wilde said his growing business is facing a major hurdle. An ongoing trade war with China threatens some of his companies' supply sources. While the Cascade Carts are largely built with parts made in the Cache Valley, its specialized trekking poles and 20-by-4-inch carbon wheels come from China.

"I feel nervous about what's going on. It's upsetting," Wilde said. "I wish I understood better, but at the same time I'm not sure understanding it any better is really going to change it a whole lot."

Wilde said finding alternate parts in the U.S. would require a complete redesign of the cart and could take away from its versatility in the outdoors.

"I don't see how we can survive by closing down our barriers and relying on ourselves for everything," Wilde said. "We're good at things that other countries are not good at, and they're good at things that we're not good at. And they have natural resources that we don't have. And that's what makes the world go round."

Right now, Huckleberry Hiking has enough parts for around another 200 units. After that, Wilde is not sure what it will do, and he's continuing to look at other options. Already priced at around $2,200, He doesn't want to raise prices. Still, he said, either way, it will find a way to survive.

"We will certainly pull all the strings that we need to try to keep it going," Wilde said. "It's a passion for us."

Related topics