Appreciated by the French, this pastry is also a victim of soaring prices.
Traditionally eaten on January 6 on the occasion of Epiphany, the famous galette will however be particularly expensive this year. It thus joins the long list of products that have seen their prices soar over the months.
Butter, eggs, flour… The ingredients needed to cook this pastry popular with the French are much more expensive, confirms the boss of the National Bakery-Pastry Confederation, Dominique Anract: “In terms of raw materials, we are at a 30% increase, which represents 25% of bakers’ turnover“. What weigh on their final result. Figures from INSEE confirm this finding: in November, the price of butter rose 20% over one year. The same goes for flour and eggs, which increased by 26% and 16% respectively.
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The recent surge in energy prices, which weighs on the accounts of craftsmen, further complicates the equation. Combined, these increases affect the final price. “We can have an increase in patties of at least 5%“, explains Dominique Anract, while specifying that the bakers increase their prices as they wish.
In the bakeryAt Chuette Delights“Located in Oise (Hauts-de-France), the share went from 3.5 euros to 4 euros. An increase of nearly 15%, bringing the cake for four people to 16 euros. “The kilo of butter is now at 11 euros. When we started 4 years ago, it was 7 eurossighs the manager, Audrey Chuette. We get used to it, we have no choice, we suffer“. Same observation for the bakery “Raphaelle», located in the 18th arrondissement in Paris and where the galette is bought by weight. The baker Sébastien Hayertz is selling it this year at 38 euros per kilo, compared to 32 euros last year. “To make a good pancake, it takes time. That’s why they are expensive. We also call on skilled labor“, he justifies himself.
The professionals are however delighted with the decline of the Covid-19, which does not come to spoil the party. “We can gather with family, at the office… In companies for example, cakes can represent up to 20% of sales“, explains Dominique Anract. Customers also seem to understand the difficulties faced by bakers: “For the moment, there is more solidarity with us than discontentreassures Audrey Chuette. Sébastien Hertz expects more thancalmthan other years.
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To help bakers, the government had to put in place many aids, in particular “a help desk for paying electricity and gas bills» or a «electricity damper“since January 1, 2023.”The government and the unions are doing things, you have to be patient“Judge Sébastien Hayertz. Observation not shared by the manager of the bakery “At Chuette Delights“: “We are offered help but there are a lot of constraints, so in the end you are not entitled to it.“, she regrets.
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