Mario's Bakery in North Syracuse is a paradise for anyone who loves sweets. There are Italian cookies, cakes, pies and more cookies.
Flour is one of the main ingredients in any of the treats made right on site. Not so sweet, flour prices are up. It's not just that the crop is costing more, it's also more to move because gas prices are higher. Owner Mario Dimperio has had to raise prices and go down to one driver. Plus all the workers are trying to avoid waste.
"The problem is, if people are strictly shopping price, we're going to lose out in the long run," Dimperio said. "If people are looking for quality products, we can certainly compete."
It's not only the cost of flour that's going up, but also sugar and cocoa prices are on the rise. Those are all ingredients that go into making delicious goodies.
At Lycourt Bakery, they are also dealing with the higher cost of doing business. While the dough is rising, prices are not. They are absorbing the extra costs and planning better. For example, they will scale back on Mondays versus Friday.
"The people still want the stuff so thank God for our customers," said Danielle Lugo, who works there.
Even in a not so sweet economy, people still want their sweets.
