The period for consuming king cakes has already begun, although the epiphany will only be celebrated this Monday, January 6, 2025. If the most popular is with frangipane, more and more pastry chefs are innovating to suit all palates. more demanding; with pistachio, chocolate, or even pear. All these pancakes with different flavors have one thing in common this year: they will increase in our departments and our bakeries. The main cause? The increase in the price per tonne of an ingredient necessary for the preparation of this dessert so dear to the hearts of the French.
A ton of butter went “from 5,500 to more than 8,000 euros”
According to Paul Boivin, general director of the FEB (Federation of bakery and pastry companies), interviewed by AFP, “Butter, which represents half the weight of a frangipane pancake, increased this year from 5,500 to more than 8,000 euros per tonne”, an increase of around 45%. But that’s not all, other parameters are increasing the cost of production: “increases in wages and energy” as well as the price of eggs, because of avian flu.
Towards an impact on the price? Yes, but with low impact. The general director of the FEB announces an increase “of 10 to 20 cents, or even 50 cents per share” or even no increase in certain bakeries, which will then cut into their margins. Customers for their part will be minimally impacted, since consumption of pancakes remains occasional, according to Mr. Boivin: “As the purchase remains one-off, the consumer does not necessarily realize the increases, if they take place.”
In France, it is estimated that each bakery generally sells “500 to 2,000 pancakes during this period, 4,000 to 5,000 for the best placed and up to 10,000 for the winner of the Prize for the best pancake” recalls Dominique Anract. In total, no less than sixty million pancakes are sold each year, confirms TF1 Info. Discover the ranking of the best frangipane king cakes according to 60 million consumers in our dedicated article.
