Price of bread
Mar 7th 2018, 9:01 pm
#1
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Price of bread
Our local bakery closed; they told me they can't make a living running it.
I liked the lump bread from our bakery better than the lump bread from other bakeries around; maybe local bias.
Anyway, now that I have to buy bread in other places, I noticed that it's always the same price; 1.60 for 800 gram lump, 0.80 for 400 gram lump.
Sliced, same price.
So is the price of lump bread [aka pao traditionale] fixed by law?
I wonder if the local bakery had charged 1.80, maybe we'd still have a bakery?
Not to mention the little air rolls at 15 cents; 15CENTS! How can anyone make a profit at 15 cents?
I will not write our name for those rolls, as it's a very, very rude word. I suppose if you've ever seen the 15 cent rolls, you know what I mean.
Now I have to eat nasty foreign imported bread from the next town over. It's a scandal. .
I liked the lump bread from our bakery better than the lump bread from other bakeries around; maybe local bias.
Anyway, now that I have to buy bread in other places, I noticed that it's always the same price; 1.60 for 800 gram lump, 0.80 for 400 gram lump.
Sliced, same price.
So is the price of lump bread [aka pao traditionale] fixed by law?
I wonder if the local bakery had charged 1.80, maybe we'd still have a bakery?
Not to mention the little air rolls at 15 cents; 15CENTS! How can anyone make a profit at 15 cents?
I will not write our name for those rolls, as it's a very, very rude word. I suppose if you've ever seen the 15 cent rolls, you know what I mean.
Now I have to eat nasty foreign imported bread from the next town over. It's a scandal. .
Mar 7th 2018, 10:35 pm
#3
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Re: Price of bread
We like mistura for its toast making qualities , 65cents loaf.
Mar 8th 2018, 8:28 am
#4
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Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Arcos de Valdevez "Onde Portugal se fez"
Posts: 16,828
Re: Price of bread
I've been under the impression that it is but on delving around, apparently not - it's a free market price-wise. The only laws I can find relate to the composition and preparation of the different categories.
Mar 8th 2018, 9:57 am
#5
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Re: Price of bread
West of me is the Atlantic ocean. Any bread made there might come out soggy.
I tried "pao Aljezur" and Pao Rogil"
The Rogil is better but not as good as our local was.
They actually closed back in November but I bought a pile and froze it, so I only ran out recently.
I tried "pao Aljezur" and Pao Rogil"
The Rogil is better but not as good as our local was.
They actually closed back in November but I bought a pile and froze it, so I only ran out recently.
Mar 8th 2018, 10:32 am
#6
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Re: Price of bread
It could be that everyone just sells for the same price because everyone sells at the same price.
I remember someone complaining to me that the at 80 cents, the small lump bread was too expensive. Maybe there would be a customer revolt if the price was raised at all.
The bakery people worked crazy hours, starting at 3AM. I could see them getting worn out. In a bigger town with better sales volume, it would be different.
The oven is heated by wood; the place was rented and run by a German for a few years, and he showed it to me. A great big modern german made commercial oven [the building must have been built around it], it was made to run on gas, but had a wood burning optional add on.
It was a lot of extra work to fuel with wood he told me. Why not use gas? Too expensive.
I told this story to a Dutch baker I know; he was simply shocked.
Of course it really makes the bread taste great I don't know if all the commercial bakeries here make the lump bread with wood fuel.
The German couple who ran the bakery looked older and older until they gave it up and returned to Germany. I met them recently, back for a holiday, surrounded by locals who were all excited to see them.
3 years later, and they looked 10 years younger.
I guess a bakery is a tough business anywhere, but in a town this size, devoid of cash and people 9 months of the year, it's even tougher.
I remember someone complaining to me that the at 80 cents, the small lump bread was too expensive. Maybe there would be a customer revolt if the price was raised at all.
The bakery people worked crazy hours, starting at 3AM. I could see them getting worn out. In a bigger town with better sales volume, it would be different.
The oven is heated by wood; the place was rented and run by a German for a few years, and he showed it to me. A great big modern german made commercial oven [the building must have been built around it], it was made to run on gas, but had a wood burning optional add on.
It was a lot of extra work to fuel with wood he told me. Why not use gas? Too expensive.
I told this story to a Dutch baker I know; he was simply shocked.
Of course it really makes the bread taste great I don't know if all the commercial bakeries here make the lump bread with wood fuel.
The German couple who ran the bakery looked older and older until they gave it up and returned to Germany. I met them recently, back for a holiday, surrounded by locals who were all excited to see them.
3 years later, and they looked 10 years younger.
I guess a bakery is a tough business anywhere, but in a town this size, devoid of cash and people 9 months of the year, it's even tougher.
Mar 8th 2018, 10:40 am
#7
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Posts: 6,313
Re: Price of bread
Our local bakery closed; they told me they can't make a living running it.
I liked the lump bread from our bakery better than the lump bread from other bakeries around; maybe local bias.
Anyway, now that I have to buy bread in other places, I noticed that it's always the same price; 1.60 for 800 gram lump, 0.80 for 400 gram lump.
Sliced, same price.
So is the price of lump bread [aka pao traditionale] fixed by law?
I wonder if the local bakery had charged 1.80, maybe we'd still have a bakery?
Not to mention the little air rolls at 15 cents; 15CENTS! How can anyone make a profit at 15 cents?
I will not write our name for those rolls, as it's a very, very rude word. I suppose if you've ever seen the 15 cent rolls, you know what I mean.
Now I have to eat nasty foreign imported bread from the next town over. It's a scandal. .
I liked the lump bread from our bakery better than the lump bread from other bakeries around; maybe local bias.
Anyway, now that I have to buy bread in other places, I noticed that it's always the same price; 1.60 for 800 gram lump, 0.80 for 400 gram lump.
Sliced, same price.
So is the price of lump bread [aka pao traditionale] fixed by law?
I wonder if the local bakery had charged 1.80, maybe we'd still have a bakery?
Not to mention the little air rolls at 15 cents; 15CENTS! How can anyone make a profit at 15 cents?
I will not write our name for those rolls, as it's a very, very rude word. I suppose if you've ever seen the 15 cent rolls, you know what I mean.
Now I have to eat nasty foreign imported bread from the next town over. It's a scandal. .
Mar 8th 2018, 10:48 am
#8
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 6,313
Re: Price of bread
It could be that everyone just sells for the same price because everyone sells at the same price.
I remember someone complaining to me that the at 80 cents, the small lump bread was too expensive. Maybe there would be a customer revolt if the price was raised at all.
The bakery people worked crazy hours, starting at 3AM. I could see them getting worn out. In a bigger town with better sales volume, it would be different.
The oven is heated by wood; the place was rented and run by a German for a few years, and he showed it to me. A great big modern german made commercial oven [the building must have been built around it], it was made to run on gas, but had a wood burning optional add on.
It was a lot of extra work to fuel with wood he told me. Why not use gas? Too expensive.
I told this story to a Dutch baker I know; he was simply shocked.
Of course it really makes the bread taste great I don't know if all the commercial bakeries here make the lump bread with wood fuel.
The German couple who ran the bakery looked older and older until they gave it up and returned to Germany. I met them recently, back for a holiday, surrounded by locals who were all excited to see them.
3 years later, and they looked 10 years younger.
I guess a bakery is a tough business anywhere, but in a town this size, devoid of cash and people 9 months of the year, it's even tougher.
I remember someone complaining to me that the at 80 cents, the small lump bread was too expensive. Maybe there would be a customer revolt if the price was raised at all.
The bakery people worked crazy hours, starting at 3AM. I could see them getting worn out. In a bigger town with better sales volume, it would be different.
The oven is heated by wood; the place was rented and run by a German for a few years, and he showed it to me. A great big modern german made commercial oven [the building must have been built around it], it was made to run on gas, but had a wood burning optional add on.
It was a lot of extra work to fuel with wood he told me. Why not use gas? Too expensive.
I told this story to a Dutch baker I know; he was simply shocked.
Of course it really makes the bread taste great I don't know if all the commercial bakeries here make the lump bread with wood fuel.
The German couple who ran the bakery looked older and older until they gave it up and returned to Germany. I met them recently, back for a holiday, surrounded by locals who were all excited to see them.
3 years later, and they looked 10 years younger.
I guess a bakery is a tough business anywhere, but in a town this size, devoid of cash and people 9 months of the year, it's even tougher.
That village was in the middle of nowhere..Northern Lakes . Granted within 2 hrs of the huge Manchester catchment area etc.. But people travelled to taste the breads from around the world ,take the course ,or eat lunch in the cafe they eventually set up- Not necessary to get up at 3am with modern methods ( and no I don't mean Chorley Wood approach ) Giving you ideas Live ?
Last edited by GeniB; Mar 8th 2018 at 10:51 am.
Mar 8th 2018, 10:53 am
#9
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Re: Price of bread
We go to a couple of places who ask if we wanted " real " bread or English bread by which they mean Bimbo.( yuk ).
That's bad enough but why buy frozen pap shipped from the UK but many do.
Mar 8th 2018, 1:09 pm
#10
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Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Arcos de Valdevez "Onde Portugal se fez"
Posts: 16,828
Re: Price of bread
In the time I've been here, 3 new just-out-of-town supermarkets serving my 2 nearest (small) towns (to add to the existing one plus the in-town Minipreço and a couple of smaller independent or Spar-type joints in each) have sprung up and are proving very popular. They all have bakery sections, 2 also have butcher and fishmonger counters although some of them appear to be run as franchises within the stores.
Quite an onslaught for the traditional single business traders.
Mar 8th 2018, 10:22 pm
#11
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Re: Price of bread
That's what the German guy thought; he's a certified "master baker" and all.
Even if people would come from miles around [I guess they did, if they wanted fresh bread], that would be very few people in this case. There's a limit as to how far people will travel for a loaf.
The existing bakeries in nearby towns deliver to the local shops daily.
But it's just not the same.
Even if people would come from miles around [I guess they did, if they wanted fresh bread], that would be very few people in this case. There's a limit as to how far people will travel for a loaf.
The existing bakeries in nearby towns deliver to the local shops daily.
But it's just not the same.
