‘It’s two to three times the price of a year ago’: Baker talks about egg price increase impacts on bakery

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Many restaurants, bakeries, you name it, are struggling with the prices of eggs right now but most of them say they’re riding out this wave until prices hopefully start to get back to normal.

Cracking an egg comes with a big price tag these days.

“I’d say it’s two to three times the price of a year ago,” Jamy Guifurta, head baker at Apple Annie’s Bake Shop, said.

Guifurta does all of the ordering for ingredients at the bakery. He said about two years ago he would pay anywhere from $50- $80 for 30 dozen eggs.

“It’s about $180 for 30 dozen wholesale right now.”

Guifurta orders eggs once a week and said he was shocked when he saw the price increase.

“I was quite surprised . . . I saw the invoice and I talked to my sales representative, and I was shocked, and you know, made sure it was correct.”

Avian bird flu is to blame for the skyrocketing prices, but Guifurta says the prices haven’t made them crack yet.

“It has impacted us, but not as dramatic as you might think. A lot of baked goods have been 25 to 30% eggs of the total weight of, let’s say a cake mix,” he said. ”Eggs vary every week. Certain times a year they’re higher, before Easter, before Christmas, and in the summer when there’s a heatwave that affects the chickens and that affects the price.”

The owner raised prices in the bakery at the beginning of the year because several ingredients have increased in price too.

“Obviously we can’t raise too much. You know, it’s just not fair to customers,” Guifurta said. ”So, we just have to ride the wave. Get through it. I’m sure we will, it’s like anything, ups and downs.”

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