Hi folks,

Some of you have noticed the change in the pricing of flour. This article was on Yahoo business today and I thought I would share. When the price of corn goes up, so do all other basic commodities, including sugar and flour. Corn is a staple commodity in the US and affects pricing all over agriculture because of corn's other uses: fuel, feed for cattle, etc...

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080331/planting_report.html

May want to raise your pricing now already to acclimate your customers to rising costs... just thought I would share.

Keep your chin up! I read an article in Baking Business Weekly, and I certainly hope they are right.

Projections for the soft wheat crop (what they make cake flour and pastry flour from) indicate a larger crop than expected. So unless they get stubborn on us and refuse to lower the prices, then prices on those commodities should only be up for a while.

This reminds me so much of the early 1970's. Gas prices up, shortages about.

Now, what did I do with that WIN button?

Theresa

It started a long time ago. My egg cost has gone up 78% in 6 months. Chicken has gone up 38% in 4 months. Salad dressing has gone up 25%; my cheapo margarine went up 15% from one week to the next; 50-lb bag of flour went up $6 in 3 weeks .... that a 35% increase. The french toast stix I use for breakfast caterings went up 48%. For my fraternity caterings, I use 16oz plastic cups that are "green", using corn. They went up 32%.

If you're not keeping a spreadsheet on your costs, start one. You will be very surprised at how high and how often these prices jump.

Great advice about the spreadsheet comparisons, Indydebi. Thanks for sharing that with us.

Theresa