Long Island bakeries prepare for busy Easter season amid increases in cocoa, sugar and egg prices
Amid high cocoa prices this Easter season, Jeison Garzon is eyeing lemon macarons for Familia Bakery.
Ever since the pandemic, the business has felt the increase in prices for goods, but has generally resisted raising prices out of an allegiance to customers, said Garzon, one of the owners of the bakery franchise, which has stores in Patchogue, Central Islip and Hampton Bays.
With other macarons selling "pretty well" and being popular on social media, Garzon hopes rolling out this flavor during a popular time for bakeries will help satiate customers' sweet teeth while steadying a business that can fluctuate for various reasons.
"It's either like a really good month or maybe not such a great month," Garzon said. "It's kind of hard to predict the trends now."
WHAT TO KNOW
- Across Long Island, local bakers are rising early to knead dough, heat ovens and decorate treats for the Easter holiday in a climate where cocoa prices have more than doubled since last year, according to experts.
- The higher prices are caused by various global factors, including changing weather patterns and avian flu.
- Some Long Island shops that spoke with Newsday have slightly raised prices of goods to cope with the increases. Others said they had bought items in bulk when prices were lower.
Jeison Garzon, one of the owners of Familia Bakery, at the franchise's store in Central Islip, on Tuesday. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Across Long Island, bakers are rising early to knead dough, heat ovens and decorate treats for the Easter holiday in a climate where cocoa prices have more than doubled since last year, according to experts. Egg and sugar rates are also elevated.
The higher prices are caused by various global factors, including changing weather patterns. The Associated Press reported Hershey raised prices last year because of inflation.
Some Long Island shops that spoke with Newsday have slightly raised prices to cope with the increases. Others said they had bought items in bulk when prices were lower or have pared back other parts of their businesses.
Daniele Messina, president of Dortoni Bakery, which has several locations including in Levittown, Commack and Port Jefferson, said it is a balancing act.
Giorgio Pace, 7, and his sister Chiara, 7, of Wantagh, look over the selection of cookies and other baked goods at the Dortoni Bakery in Levittown during an outing with their grandmother on Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
He said items such as decorated cookies and novelty products are popular during the Easter season. However, getting ingredients like sugar has become more expensive and the company has been looking at how many perishable products it uses.
"We've really tried to keep our prices [as] low as possible because we understand that the public is under their own stress," Messina said.
With only a few days left before Easter, baker Angelles Soto Viyal adds powdered sugar to a sheet pan full St. Joseph’s pastries at the Dortoni Bakery in Levittown on Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
But much of what is driving increased costs is out of their hands.
The African countries of Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Nigeria make up roughly 75% of global cocoa production, Wells Fargo said in a March advisory. Farmers there have seen above-average rainfall, which can lead to problems with diseased crops.
As for wholesale eggs, the unpredictability in their price this Easter is due to outbreaks of avian flu, which can kill chickens and diminish supply, Wells Fargo also said in March. Last month, a dozen eggs cost an average of roughly $3, The Associated Press reported, citing government data. In February 2021, that figure was about $1.60.
Peter Galbo, a senior food research analyst at Bank of America, said egg prices are seasonal, so they tend to go up around key windows such as Easter. He believes egg prices will start going down after the holiday but the same can’t be said for cocoa.
“Cocoa is going to be a big question,” he said.
Greg Napolitano, who runs day-to-day operations and is the secretary of Campbell's Bakery in Brentwood, said he hopes this holiday season will start a bounce-back year after a few difficult ones.
After the pandemic hit, he saw egg prices soar, moving from more than $30 a pail to upward of $100. Meanwhile, the amount of business dropped.
"It was hard," he said.
Inside the bakery that has been in the same place for more than 50 years, the staff is busy preparing for the holiday, making sponge cakes, pastries, cheesecakes and "hundreds and hundreds of tres leches cakes," Napolitano said.
He's keeping his eyes focused on customers — many of whom can only afford to buy a cake for special occasions.
"For the person that just maybe can't afford that cake during the year … they always can afford it for a holiday," he added.
Santiago Garzon, owner of La Espiguita Bakery in Brentwood, on Tuesday. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
At La Espiguita Bakery in Brentwood, customers purchase tres leches cakes and other items. Clear display cases hold dozens of treats, from tiramisu and cakes to pan de bono.
In the back area, workers knead dough to make pan de queso, a savory-sweet mix of cheese and bread.
Santiago Garzon, an owner of the family business, said during the pandemic they had to raise their price of empanadas by about 35 cents because of high beef prices. As of yet, he said they have not been impacted by higher prices for sugar, eggs and cocoa.
But like other bakery owners, he, too, hopes Easter will be a boon.
With AP
Education: Howard University
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.
Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting; Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.
