SAN ANTONIO – Daisy Padilla, co-owner of Charlotte Panaderia in San Antonio, said higher fuel prices are making deliveries more expensive and could push the business to start charging customers for its typically free drop-offs.
Padilla said the cost pressures go beyond the pump. The price of bakery staples such as eggs, butter and sugar have also climbed. Sugar sacks alone are up about $10 compared with three years ago.
In order to keep up, Padilla said their mother-daughter bakery is shifting from selling single items to bundling pastries into packages — offering customers more items while charging more overall.
According to Padilla, she has noticed some customers aren’t coming as often as they used to do.
“We’re planning to maybe sell more days because, right now, we only bake one day a week,” Padilla said. “And maybe, if we sell a little but more, we can make a little more profit.”
The duo bakes nearly 1,000 pieces of bread from their home kitchen and tries to maintain quality ingredients that make their pan dulce worth the price. Rising costs, she said, are squeezing profits needed to pay bills and invest for the future.
Co-owner Maria Valladolid said they worry about raising prices too much and losing customers. She said they sometimes increase prices slightly due to the difficulty balancing costs.
“Although, sometimes, we raise it very little because we are afraid of losing customers, right?” Valladolid said. “And that is the fear, but it is difficult. It is hard to balance the price of the products and the price for our bread.”
Padilla said higher gas prices also impact how often they travel to buy supplies in bulk and whether they attend summer farmers markets.
Valladolid is encouraging other business owners to persevere. For them, she said baking is their love language.
“It’s difficult, it’s hard, but it’s very beautiful,” Valladolid said.
KSAT would also like to hear from other business owners who are making changes due to the rising cost of fuel and materials. Email us at news@ksat.com.
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