The time for Christmas means parties, gifts, reconnecting with friends and family who meet on the joyful occasion. It is also a time for sweets that are special to the season. It is either made at home or is purchased from outlets around the State. Marzipan, dodols, doce, Kulkul, bebinca and cakes are popular and made and distributed. However, as the years go by, the increasing cost of making them or even buying them burns quite a hole in the pocket of the average Joe.
Oliver Fernandes, the partner of a popular outlet that is based in the State, said the price of raw materials increases steadily every year. Oliver said, “Ideally, if each raw material price has increased, which is mostly the case, the product price has to increase, but we keep most of the prices the same and increase only those which have a steep increase in ingredients.”
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He informs that eggs had increased by 30 percent, he pointed out that this happens during the Christmas season. The price of flour had increased by 25 percent, dry fruits by 15 percent and coconuts had increased dramatically by 50-60 percent. Speaking specifically about Christmas sweets, he said, “Today, a Christmas cake is a valued product at Christmas because it’s rich and includes a lot of dry fruits and alcohol and would range from Rs 1500-2000 per kilo. Two years back, this price would be at least 20 percent less. Hence, most bakers absorb as much of the increase in price.”
Another player in the business, Chef Sunit Sharma, said over the last two years the cost of raw materials had increased by 30-40 percent and this included oil, eggs and other essential commodities. A one kilo cake which would cost anywhere between Rs 700-800 depending on the outlet would now go for anywhere between Rs 1200 to Rs 1500.
Sonia Fernandes, a business woman with an outlet in Panjim, said that buying a cake for Christmas did not make any sense because it was too expensive. It made a lot of sense to make it at home. They were still buying sweets but were now spending less. If earlier it was Rs 1700 for purchase of sweets they would still buy the same sweets but lesser quantity. Her sister would now make sweets at home to ensure they did not fall short during the season.
Joe Mascarenhas, who works in a company in Verna, said the cost of the sweets had increased by 15-20 percent in the last two years and this meant his purchases had gotten smaller during the season. He said the cost of sweets was increasing every year and it was difficult to increase one’s budget for sweets when daily expenses had to also be taken off. He said, “I spend around Rs 2000 every Christmas on sweets but it is getting smaller as the years go by. Everything is getting more expensive and I don’t even think of buying a cake. My wife makes a cake at home and that’s it. Sad but true”.
Vanessa Campos, the owner of a popular pastry shop in Panjim said there was a drastic increase in prices because the price of coconut, flour, butter and oil had all gone up. “If Bebinca was Rs 500 two years ago, Rs 520 last year now, it would be Rs 650 to 700 a kilo. The cost of butter has increased,” she said. But all this she said had not resulted in a drop in sales. She said Bebinca was the most popular sweet followed by Dodol followed by Gons or Cobwebs.
Chef Kunal Arolkar, who has his own training centre, also prepares pastries for the season said that there was a major increase in the cost of exotic ingredients. Blackcurrants had increased by 10-15 percent and at those margins there was pressure on the chef. Every ingredient would go up and the chef would have to decide which could be substituted with a cheaper alternative. The increase in cost was continuous, he said raising the blood pressure of everyone.
Christmas may be the time to celebrate but balancing the expenditure while buying the sweets can be quite a herculean task.
