ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — McKayla Dietzen counts her weekly egg usage by the case.
She’s the owner McKayla Marie Sweets, a gourmet bakery in Ashwaubenon.
“We go through probably 30 dozen a week. Last January, our prices were $35 a case and a case has 15 dozen. This year, we’re up to $98,” Dietzen said. “They have tripled, which is tough. You can’t triple your prices in just a year, so it’s hard to see every week when I log in to place my order and those prices continue to climb.”
A dozen eggs alone went into a chocolate cake batter she was making late Tuesday morning.
“It’s tough because right now is when we’re starting to book all our wedding clients for the rest of the year,” she said. “I’m having to give out quotes for weddings where I don’t know what prices are going to be. I don’t know if they’re going to come back down or continue to climb.”
Egg prices for both businesses and consumers have been on the rise in recent months due to a number of factors. That includes both seasonal and long-term demand and an outbreak of avian flu which has wiped out millions of birds around the nation.
In December alone, cartoned eggs in Midwest went up about $1.65 per dozen, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Weekly Egg Market Report from last week.
Russ Petrouske is the owner of several eateries — including Toast & Co. in Ledgeview. He sees prices for ingredients fluctuate, but nothing compares to the the massive price increases in eggs over the past five years.
“You see fluctuations quite a bit and you build your menu accordingly. The extreme that eggs have been over the last couple of years is definitely not normal,” he said. “I can’t think of any other expense we’ve had that’s gone up 500, 600, percent in five years.”
Toast & Co. Head Chef Dylan Bebee said they’re seeing a lot of prepared eggs leaving the kitchen.
“I think we see a lot more people coming out to eat eggs instead of getting eggs themselves,” he said. “If they’re only going to eat two or three, I’m sure they don’t want to pay for the dozen since that’s also getting more expensive.”
Dietzen said changing prices for customers isn’t a decision made lightly.
“We raised some of our prices for the first time just last week. That was kind of a tough pill to swallow,” she said. “I don’t want to contribute to the inflation that’s been going around for the last few years. That was tough, but I have the same overhead. I have to pay rent, I have to pay my employees, so I kind of have to.”