PETALING JAYA: Consumers might need to pay larger costs for Christmas cookies and muffins this coming festive season as home bakers wrestle with elevated costs.
Several home bakers who spoke to eNM stated the value of core components together with premium sugar, eggs, butter and flour had elevated, leaving them with little alternative however to lift their very own costs.
The worth of refined white sugar is managed at RM2.85 per kg however a reported scarcity out there has led to folks having to purchase premium sugar, which may value virtually double the value.
In the case of eggs, the federal government has lifted worth controls and their costs at the moment are floated.
“Last 12 months, my worth for a 1.5kg fruit cake was RM175. This 12 months, I elevated it to RM195 for the reason that worth of blended fruits, sugar, flour, and even the alcohol utilized in my cake has gone up,” stated Michelle Francis, the proprietor of Brandy and Rum Fruitcake.
She stated she couldn’t retain her earlier costs as this is able to eat into her revenue margin.
Cake Chemist proprietor Sree Amertharaj Ratnam in the meantime is elevating the value of his cookies from RM38 per jar to RM40 per jar.
“I exploit pure butter to bake cookies and the value has elevated currently,” he instructed eNM, including that he refused to substitute butter with margarine which is cheaper as he didn’t need to compromise on the standard of his meals.
Another baker, Michelle Lee, stated the value of cake flour had elevated from RM3 to RM5 per kg this 12 months.
The proprietor of Michelle Cake Factory stated the rise in costs had compelled her to extend the value of her cookies by 5%. The cookies are bought at between RM35 and RM38 a jar.
Whiskylicious Fruitcake proprietor Bernard Francis stated he was lowering the sugar he utilized in his fruitcakes and opting for different components to carry out the sweetness to deal with the elevated value of components.
“I bake as it’s my stress-release mechanism, so whereas I’m growing my costs a bit, it’s largely to cowl the costs,” he stated.
Bake N’ Flake proprietor Tuwangari Pachiapan stated she needed to be aware about elevating costs.
“I can’t enhance the value an excessive amount of as a result of my prospects are largely from the M40 and B40 classes,” she stated, referring to the center and lower-income teams.
Already, she has been receiving fewer orders for her fruitcakes this 12 months, as she needed to elevate her costs following the rise in the price of uncooked supplies, particularly brandy.
