Pierre Poulin dreamed of owning a bakery, but lately, the cost of ingredients has been a nightmare.
He relies on eggs as an essential ingredient for his wide array of pastries, going through at least 15 dozen a day at his bakery in Magnolia. That means he’s been particularly hard hit by the recent increase in egg prices.
“Ultimately, we decided to absorb the cost and not change anything for customers because we don’t want to be constantly be adjusting our prices,” Poulin said.
He tells KIRO 7 that the price of eggs has more than doubled recently. He and other bakeries help each other out by scouring stores to find the cheapest eggs in bulk. Then, they have to rush to get them.
“And If you’re five minutes late, everything is gone,” he said.
A KIRO 7 investigation found that local egg prices range from about $4 to $7 per dozen. Trader Joe’s had the cheapest option. Experts say the main reason for the cost increase is the avian flu.
“The eggs are one thing, and then raising minimum wage is quite the adjustment,” Poulin told KIRO.
Poulin says that in addition to rising egg and labor costs, inflation is also impacting other essential ingredients like chocolate, which has gone up about 50% in the last year. This makes it the hardest situation he’s faced as a business owner.
“It’s definitely more challenging than the pandemic,” he said.
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