The boycott of American wines by Swedes is increasing. Last year’s decline was 23 percent, according to Systembolaget’s statistics. “It will continue,” says Ulf Sjödin, assortment manager. Sweden’s boycott of other US products is also growing.
According to a new study from Lund University in Sweden, approximately one in five BoycottSwedes is already choosing not to buy American brands. The majority would consider boycotting American products such as Coca-Cola in favor of European or Swedish alternatives.
The majority of those questioned are open to replacing these with alternatives. Almost 20 per cent say that they have already boycotted an American brand.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has not been the best friend of American wine producers. Since he started talking about tariffs last spring, sales at Systembolaget have plummeted. Swedes largely abandoned U.S.-made wines in a sort of boycott. In the first half of 2025, the decline was 17 percent.
The Lund University study asked four questions of 1,000 Swedes aged 18 to 74 to assess their attitudes toward boycotting American goods.
“Made in America” has become an unsavory term as sour sentiments around President Trump’s trade war grow.
“The newly imposed U.S. trade tariffs on European products are causing European consumers to think twice about what’s in their shopping cart,” the European Central Bank wrote. The current proposed tariffs on most goods imported from Europe are 50%, and they will take effect on July 9 (though talks are underway).
For the full year 2025, the decline of US wine and spirits in Sweden was 23 percent compared with 2024, according to Ulf Sjödin.
Coca-Cola is the best-selling soft drink in Sweden, and 61 per cent of all Swedes between the ages of 18 and 74 have purchased Coca-Cola at least once in the past year. Of those who bought the brand at least once, 69 per cent can envisage switching out Coca-Cola for an alternative, according to the Lund findings.
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Canada is a critical market and the top importer of U.S. wine. Canada is the single most important export market for U.S. wines, with retail sales exceeding $1.1 billion annually. “The tariffs are creating a fiercely pro-Canadian movement,” says Shane Munn, winemaker at Martin’s Lane in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. “You see it in the grocery store—people pick up products, check where it’s from, make a face and switch to something labelled ‘Grown in Canada.’”
Before last year’s decline, American wines accounted for around 6 percent of Swedes’ total wine purchases. This has fallen significantly, and Swedes are instead looking more toward European wine sellers, among others.
Boycotts are difficult – but not impossible
Historically, consumer power has been an important driving force for change. When French wines were boycotted in the 1990s, as a protest against the country’s nuclear weapon tests in French Polynesia, the impact on exports was significant.
In France and Denmark, Boycott USA Facebook pages have grown. In Canada, apps like Maple Scan have emerged to help shoppers make homegrown swaps for American goods.
Even some governments have purged American products. Several Canadian provinces pulled American alcoholic beverages off shelves. Three months in, no American wine has been sold in Ontario or Quebec.
“The U.S. was a bit of a pioneer in craft beer. Now much of that role has been taken over by Swedish breweries,” says Ulf Sjödin.
Sweden’s Boycott of US Products is Growing, Tor Kjolberg reporting