ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Rising costs associated with higher energy costs and tariffs are affecting local small businesses in a variety of ways. An executive of one Central Florida vitamin and supplement store is uncertain about what the new year will bring.
Tucked away in Apopka is a small, family-owned business called Natural Living. The company was founded in 1990, out of the garage of Jose Alvarez’s parents, where they made vitamins and supplements.
Currently, the family business has multiple buildings and over 20 employees who sell to customers across the state, the Caribbean and South America…