Price shock: Why many bakeries have to cancel a popular classic

Coffee and cake are more than just a snack: they are part of everyday German culture. The irritation is all the greater when classics like cherry pie suddenly disappear from the displays. What happened in this traditional Berlin bakery is not an isolated case.

“No one would want to pay more”: Bakeries are removing cherry cakes from their range

The Plentz Bakery in Berlin, family-run for around 150 years, according to a report by PICTURElike that too Hessian/Lower Saxony General reported that they took the radical step and completely removed cherry cake from the range. In that of hna.de In the case cited, owner Maximilian Schöppner calculates: For 4,000 kilograms of cherries, which he could previously buy for a maximum of 8,000 euros, up to 32,000 euros are now due. A piece of cherry crumble would have to cost well over four euros. A price that the baker does not want to charge on principle. For him, that would be “not a fair price” for an everyday product.

CHIP also asked bakers. The Cologne people Bakery Zimmermann KG took the cherries out of the range a few months ago. As soon as prices return to an acceptable level, cherry pies will be offered again. However, owner Markus Zimmermann believes that it is hardly possible to pass on the increased costs to customers: “No one would want to pay a levy on the cake prices anymore.”

Plentz and Zimmermann show a typical problem for smaller companies: They either have to include the increased costs in the sales price or temporarily remove products from their range.

But it’s not just small, regional bakers who are feeling the problem. Also large bakeries like this Kamps GmbHone of the largest bakery chains in Germany, are affected by the current development. The problem affects the entire industry – and therefore also large, artisanal bakeries, according to CHIP’s query from the company. The sharp rise in prices is particularly noticeable for seasonal raw materials, especially fruit. Accordingly, possible adjustments to the range, recipes and pricing would be continuously examined and discussed. Product quality and a balanced price-performance ratio are always crucial.

Harvest in decline: late frosts make cherries a luxury item

The drastic increase in the price of cherries is not just a result of higher energy costs or wages. In Brandenburg, for example, fruit farmers have experienced massive harvest failures in recent years. The Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office speaks of a “historic low” in cherry production for 2024. Accordingly, in the state of Brandenburg only 164 tons of cherries harvested – the lowest value in three decades. Late frosts at the end of April were primarily responsible, with temperatures temporarily falling to minus five degrees and destroying sensitive flowers over large areas.

The situation improved in the following year, 2025 according to statistics True, the harvest rose 541 tonsbut remains at a low level. Damage caused by frost, weather extremes and regional outages is reflected in the range and prices – fresh, frozen or processed.

The reports from other fruit-growing regions of the republic were very similar: several state statistics offices and industry associations reported frost damage and fluctuating yields in 2024/25, especially for sweet cherries. For bakeries and pastry shops, this means that the already highly seasonal ingredient becomes an incalculable quantity.

When middlemen and shortages drive up prices

In addition to the shortage in the fields, there is a second level that bakers like Schöppner point out, according to HNA: the role of the middle trade. In the reports, he criticizes the fact that wholesalers can achieve higher margins with scarce goods and thus drive up the price for processing companies. His basic attitude: Food should not become a mere “plaything for profit maximization”.

Regardless of the specific question of guilt, there is a structural problem here: the longer the supply chain between the tree and the bakery, the greater the leverage effect of scarcity. And the more standardized the goods (e.g. already prepared fruit preparations), the more difficult it becomes for small businesses to switch to alternative sources of supply.

Seasonal products: What this means for consumers

The decision to remove cherry crumble from the range may seem insignificant at first. However, it shows how sensitive products are that are heavily dependent on certain raw materials and seasonal harvests.

While some large retail chains can often cushion raw material price fluctuations through mixed calculations, long-term contracts or recipe adjustments, smaller craft businesses have to react flexibly. As the example of the Düsseldorf bakery chain Kamps shows, large retail chains are also drawing conclusions. Plentz has therefore decided to temporarily focus on varieties such as apple, plum or poppy seed cake, whose supply of raw materials is more stable.

For consumers, this doesn’t mean that cherry pie is fundamentally disappearing. It will continue to appear in supermarkets or larger bakeries, but often with a higher price premium or with a higher proportion of imported goods and processed components. If you want traditional, regional products with cherries, you will have to search more closely in some regions or actually bake them yourself.