26 March 2024
TOPEKA, KS (KSNT) — Easter is just around the corner and that means it’s a busy time for local businesses. But with prices flying high because of inflation, it can also be stressful.
It’s one of the busiest times of the year for Hazel Hill. According to owner and chocolate maker Nick Xidis, behind Christmas, Valentines Day and Mothers Day, it’s their fourth-biggest holiday of the year.
“Last year Easter was so late in the year. This year it’s coming a lot earlier,” Xidis said “So, we will see a lot of people probably late this week coming in to get those things. Especially the apples and the things they want to have fresh made.”
Easter being earlier in the year isn’t the only change for Hazel Hill though. The price of their main raw ingredient is through the roof. As a result, it’s making this Easter more expensive for both the producer and the consumer.
“The price of cocoa right now it is at an all-time high,” Xidis said. “For decades its run between 2,000 and 2,500 a ton. Last time I looked it was north of 8,000 a ton.”
Cocoa futures in the U.S. topped $9,000 a ton. This has made it more expensive than copper.
“You can imagine if our raw ingredient cost are moving that much, we’re having to do a lot to kind of hedge those prices,” Xidis said. “There’s no way we can raise a retail price that fast. So, yeah, there are some challenges in a dynamic market like that.”
And with the National Retail Federation expecting Easter spending to pass 22-billion dollars this year, locally-owned business owners are feeling the pressure from big box companies and hoping you choose local.
“When you spend your money here, your money stays here,” The Bakehouse by Amanda’s Rolls owner Amanda Scully said. “Because we pay bills here, we shop here just like you do. So, the more money you can put into your local businesses, the stronger our economy will be.”
With 81 percent of Americans planning on celebrating Easter, spending on average just over 177 dollars per person, at the end of the day it’s not about money for Xidis.
“Giving something to somebody that tastes great, and that they can enjoy and know that it was sustainably sourced and put together by local people, being able to deliver that and making people happy, that’s what it’s all about,” Xidis said.