"We are trapped", warns Sahad Zerzour, manager of the Mozart bakery, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. Faced with the increase of around 30% in the price of butter, the craftsman has decided to give up his margins and will therefore not increase its selling price, even if it means producing fewer cakes. “How do you expect me to increase the price when today we are in head-on competition with manufacturers? “, He justifies, annoyed. No question of opting for a cheaper, lower quality butter. “We cannot compromise on the quality of the butter,” he says. If we no longer find the taste of our product, what are we going to do? ".
This sudden increase is explained by a drop in milk production, but also by the large orders of dairy products placed in particular by China this year, details Sébastien Bretteau of the Syndicat des Boulangers du Grand Paris.
"Manufacturers have therefore preferred to make milk rather than cream which gives butter", he explains.
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A few kilometers away, near the Montparnasse tower, the "La Petite Alsacienne" bakery had no choice but to add 50 cents to one euro more, depending on the size of the pancake, on the receipt of its customers. Because the butter he bought before nearly five euros per kilo has now climbed to around nine euros per kilo. Added to this are the rising prices of other raw materials, almond powder, wheat and electricity.
“It's exceptional this year.
On butter, I've never known that, ”testifies Jérémy Hadjadj, manager of the bakery.
Provident, he stored a larger quantity of this precious dairy product, even if it means paying a high price for it.
"When we are told about a shortage, we no longer even pay attention to the price, we especially want to have the product we want so as not to run out," says the baker.
