Kouign Amann or Breton cake. Butter is a key ingredient in regional specialties. However, it is becoming more and more expensive. In particular: a drop in milk production linked to bluetongue which affects cow farms.
At the end of September, the price of butter reached a record level at €8,180 per tonne, an increase of 92% in one year. This situation particularly affects artisan bakers. “It’s a product that we use a lot.“, says Christophe Rousseau, head of the Lyautey bakery and pastry shop in Vannes.
“You have to pay attention to everything”
The merchant had to revise prices upwards. “We will have to increase our pastries in the coming weeks“Pain au chocolat has already suffered an increase of five centimes, due to the price of butter, coupled with the surge in cocoa prices.”You have to pay attention to everything to end the month as best as possible“, testifies Christophe Rousseau.
To compensate for the surge in raw materials, alternative solutions exist such as the use of margarine. But the departmental champion of the galette des Rois 2023 does not always do so. “We have to stick to pure butter products“, he believes, “for our customers, we have no choice. As November approaches, the professional also fears a surge in electricity prices.
