A small white sign posted last month in the window of the DeliFrance broke the news to customers: prices for baked goods — from croissants to French bread — are going up. The culprit: the rising cost of the flour the business imports from France.
Jean-Luc Simon, owner of DeliFrance and La Baguette Bakery, said that the continued increase in the cost of the crucial ingredient left him with no choice but to raise his prices by five percent.
“After four years, I couldn’t take it anymore,” he said, adding that the increase could mean thousands of dollars in added cost.
Bakers everywhere have to contend with volatile supply costs, but Mr. Simon said his company is particularly affected because he relies on flour imported from France to make his breads and pastries.
See the Sept. 8, 2011 edition for full coverage.