No increase in the value of kosunacs is expected before Easter because there is huge competition that suppresses the prices, the president of the National Union of Bakers and Confectioners Mariana Kukusheva commented for BTA.
There is no single price for the kosunak, it is determined by the manufacturer, and it includes the raw materials invested in its production, as well as human labor and consumed electricity, Kukusheva also explained.
She advised all consumers not to trust "fictitious webmasters" who advertise outrageous prices with the promise of exceptional quality, and not to be misled by “organic“ labels.
The BTA correspondents checked what the prices of kozunaks are in the country.
There is an increase in the price of cottages in Burgas, an inspection by BTA showed. The value in one of the boutique bakeries in the city has increased by nearly 20 percent.
"The prices of all dairy products are higher, including butter, which are the main ingredients of kosunak. Chocolate is also overpriced, Turkish delight is already almost BGN 10 per kilogram. "Usually before the holiday, the prices of eggs and sugar also jump speculatively, so the industry can't help but react," said master baker Denitsa Georgieva.
For example, for 450 grams of kozunak, filled with Turkish delight and walnuts or with raisins, the price is BGN 23.50. The kozunak with orange peel and chocolate is the same price and weight. Their prices last year were BGN 21.00, but with a weight of 600 g.
The bakery also sells pure kozunac made of quality flour and good eggs. For 350 grams, the price is BGN 13.50, almost as much as last year, but for 500 grams.
In Varna the price of quality kosunac is about BGN 5 for half a kilogram. The manager of one of the popular ovens in the city - Marijana Genova, indicated to BTA that the aspiration is to have no increase compared to last year, even though the profit for the manufacturer is minimal. According to her, the costs involved in making a quality product are serious – eggs, fat, good flour. Current also affects the price. If the kozunak is made with raisins, nuts or Turkish delight, its value increases by at least one lev. These products are BGN 1.50 more expensive per kilogram than last year, Genova explained.
The price of kosunak in Veliko Tarnovo almost does not differ from last year, the BTA check showed. The bakery at the Central Cooperative Market offers 480-gram kosunacs for a price of BGN 4.00. /p>
Dimi Koleva, whose family has been following the tradition of home-made kozunak for decades, told BTA that kozunak prepared at home this spring is ten cents cheaper than last year. She is a pensioner and in order to monitor the expenses in the family budget, she strictly writes down every purchase in a notebook. Thus, a report from May last year shows that BGN 8.81 was spent on the necessary products for the preparation of one kilogram of kozunak. For this year, the total value for one kilogram of homemade kozunak is BGN 8.72, and the reason for the minimal difference is more the low price of sugar in the commercial network this year. The prices of the other products for the family recipe - eggs, yeast, flour, fresh milk, butter, vanilla and lemon - are also without significant differences from last year.
In Svishtov, no increase in the price of kosunak is expected for Easter. For pure kozunak (without Turkish delight, marmalade or chocolate), the price will be between BGN 3 and 5, said traders from a small bakery in the city.
There is no expected increase in the prices of cotton wool in Vidin, BTA's inspection showed. The price of half a kilogram of ordinary kozunak weeks before the holiday is between BGN 3 and 3.50. It mainly depends on the raw materials and ingredients used in the preparation. At the moment, there is no increase in the prices of raw materials and ingredients, which would lead to an increase in the price of kosunacs. There may be an increase of up to 10-12 cents because of the greater demand around Easter itself.
No change in the prices of kosunacs is expected in Vratsa. The prices are the same as last year - BGN 5 for classic and about BGN 6 - 6.50 for kozunak with additives such as chocolate, Turkish delight and raisins. If there is no change in the prices of the products included in the product, the prices will remain the same, explained one of the companies that produce kozunak and snacks.
In Gabrovo no increase in the price of kosunaki is expected. According to Todorka Stancheva, the owner of a bakery in the city, the only change this year is to increase the weight of the products themselves, and in those with filling, it should be more. The bakery makes kozunaci according to a homemade recipe, a large part of the work on them is manual labor.
By 40-50 cents, kozunak is more expensive in Dobrich this year. For BTA, the technologist of a company with a bakery in the village of Stefanovo, Teodora Dobreva, explained that this is due to the increased prices of some raw materials. She said that the price of flour does not change, but there is an inexplicable increase in the price of sugar, yeast, eggs.
The bakery offers both plain kozunaci and those with different types of filling, such as Turkish delight, raisins, chocolate. Easter breads are also available in different sizes, from 260 to 500 grams.
There is no increase in the price of kozunaks in Lovech, despite the more expensive products for them.
In Vanya Georgieva's bakery, kozunats are 6 BGN again this year, regardless of whether they are classic or with raisins. A roll with marmalade or with chocolate is also available for BGN 7. “The increase in products is not big, so we can afford to keep the price.“ Georgieva pointed out.
Also in other places in the city, the prices of kosunaka are also BGN 6, there is a difference in the rolls, which can be found at BGN 6 and 6.50. In food chains, the value is lower.
The price of kozunaks in Troyan has increased by about BGN compared to last year, a BTA check showed.
In Nataliya Yosifova's oven, homemade kozunak without additives is sold at a price of BGN 6 for 500 grams, and its price has increased by BGN 1 compared to last year. Kozunak with raisins is sold at a price of BGN 8, with added chocolate or marmalade the price is BGN 7. The situation is similar in other visited sites.
Stamenka Damyanova – executive director of the bakery in the city, explained that the price at which he delivers to the store network is BGN 3.50 for 500 grams of kozunak without additives and BGN 4.50 for kozunak with raisins. There is no change in prices compared to 2023.
In Montana, the price of corns is not up compared to last year. It varies between BGN 3.00 and BGN 3.50 for 500 grams and between BGN 6.00 and BGN 7.00 per kilogram. It is one of the lowest in the country and has not increased compared to last year, Valeri Krastev, the owner of the largest local company for the production of bakery and confectionery products, told BTA.
Fur coats in Montana are 2-3 times cheaper compared to Sofia, where 500 grams cost BGN 8-10, a kilogram of various cuts costs BGN 16-20, and in some places even more, Krastev commented. He reported that 15-20 years ago there were 18 bakeries in Montana, and now there are only two left, and the others went bankrupt and sold off the machines. The reason is the delivery of cheap bread, bakery and confectionery products from the big bakeries in Sofia.
An increase in the prices of kozunaks by about 10% is reported in Pazardzhik. The price ranges from BGN 3.70 to BGN 9.20. It depends on the manufacturer, weight and content. The cheapest are the ordinary knitted kozunaci, and the most expensive are the “Panettone“ with raisins and nuts.
The housewives told a BTA reporter that they prefer home-made Easter cakes. In recent years, the preparation technology has been greatly facilitated by bread makers, which are already common enough in households, and the advantage is that kozunak can be prepared according to individual taste. In addition, the price is twice as low as in the commercial network.
In Pernik, the price of kosunak is expected to be the same as last year. For BTA, Desislava Stoeva - manager of a small family bakery, explained that she expects the value to be preserved because they offer this product during the rest of the year as well.
„For its preparation, we use standard and quality products, including eggs, milk, butter, raisins, etc. We work with a small markup. Half a kilogram costs BGN 4.50, and a kilogram - BGN 9.00. I think this is a normal price for a real and nice kozunak," Stoeva said.
In Petrich, Blagoevgrad Region, the prices of breadcrumbs vary between BGN 4 and 8. In Petrich, sweet bread can be found in retail chains at a price between BGN 4-5, but in some places its value is much higher, Georgi Chopakov, who owns several bakeries in the city, told BTA. With him, kosunak according to a home recipe will be expected to cost around BGN 8.
Kozunak in Pleven has increased in price by about 15 percent. Half a kilogram of the traditional sweet, mixed with eggs and fresh milk and added with Turkish delight, chocolate or rosehip marmalade, costs BGN 10. This is what Chavdar Hristanov, the owner of a bakery in the city, told BTA. The "pure" one is cheaper by one lev. kozunak.
We try to keep the prices of the so-called tolerable level for humans. The update that we allow ourselves to do is mainly based on the price of input products and electricity, we do not look at national inflation, commented Hristanov. He emphasized that the price of lard, which is used in kosunaka according to the traditional recipe, has risen significantly. Now one kilogram costs about BGN 8-9, while years ago it was BGN 2.
There is no reason to increase the price of kosunak in Plovdiv, Dimitar Yoltov, owner of a bakery in the city center, said about the master. The sweet bread with raisins keeps its last year's price of BGN 6.50, as well as its weight. The price of flour this year is low, eggs are 50 cents each, as last year, sugar also maintains its value, added the master. According to him, there is an increase in the price of some consumables, but it cannot justify a higher price.
Yoltov explained that the Easter campaign started with the holidays of Catholics and Armenians, and at the moment about 100 pieces come out of his bakery every day. He expects a total of between 2,500 – 3500 kosunak.
The prices of factory kozunak in shops in Plovdiv vary from BGN 2.50 to BGN 3.50, the reporter's check found.
In Razgrad there will be a slight increase in the price of kosunak compared to last year, Kina Georgieva, owner of a family company for the production of confectionery, told BTA. According to her, there is no way that the prices of kozunaks will be the same as last year, since there is a change in the prices of raw materials.
„The fur coats we produce are more special, home-made type – with eggs, with milk, with added nuts and Belgian chocolate, and the prices of all these products have increased compared to last year. It is expected that there will be another increase against the egg holidays”, Ivanova pointed out.
Ivanova is convinced, however, that despite the slight price increase, the Easter cake will be affordable for every family.
By no less than 10% is the increase in the price of kosunaki in Ruse. A kilogram of classic kozunak costs about BGN 10.
According to the manager of a pastry shop in the city, Bojanka Dimitrova, the price per kilogram varies between BGN 10 and 40, and the increase is mainly due to the increase in the price of labor.
"The cheapest kozunak is the one that is the most ordinary and without pretensions. Kozunaks without sugar and with organic agave syrup are respectively in the highest price category. There are also kosunats for about BGN 18-20 per kilogram - they are added with walnut filling or with orange peels and raisins," explained Dimitrova.
Valeri Vlaescu - manager of a bread and pasta production company, explained that there is a slight increase in the price compared to last year, because all raw materials have become more expensive.
Martin Kirov from a company that produces kosunaks explained that the price of a kosunak will not be higher than last year, even though the minimum wage has gone up.
"The classic kozunak, which is 500 grams, will cost between BGN 4.50 and 5.00, Kirov explained.
In Silistra, there is a slight increase in the price of cotton wool, the industry reports. The value of the mass kozunak is about BGN 8-10. The increase is due to the higher prices of products and electricity, as well as higher wages.
In order to reduce prices, some producers plan to limit the acoptimento to only ordinary kozunak (without raisins, Turkish delight, nuts and chocolate).
A curious detail is that many Silistrians prefer to buy kozunak for the holiday from neighboring Romania. The prices there are similar, but some people claim that the quality is higher.
Kozunak will be about 15% more expensive in Smolyan, predict a bakery company in the city.
The increase is mainly due to higher salaries. With part of the raw materials for production – flour, sugar and oil, there was a slight decrease in price compared to the spring of last year. The most widely sold kozunak of the company - a package of 450 g, will be sold to traders for BGN 4.30.
At other companies, the prices are unchanged - a 300-gram kozunak reaches the shops at a value of BGN 2.10, and a 200-gram kozunak is BGN 2.50 without the surcharge at the stand.
In Stara Zagora, one of the largest enterprises for the production of bread and bakery products in the city is expecting an increase of 20 cents for the Easter cakes. For BTA, the manager of the company, Gergina Dimitrova, indicated that the change is in the price of fats and sugar.
The selling price in the company store of the manufacturer is BGN 3.50 for a classic kozunak, and with additional ingredients the price is BGN 5.20. “The kozunak we produce is kneaded by hand and does not contain preservatives,” said Dimitrova.
For the upcoming Easter holidays, the company will produce between 4000 - 5000 kosunaks, which will be freshly mixed in the last days of Holy Week. She emphasized that mainly work is done on request, as the kozunak has a shelf life of 5 days, due to the lack of preservatives and stabilizers.
There is a slight increase in the price of kozunaks in Targovishte, and according to the producers, the price is up to 50 cents higher than last year. The prices of raw materials are higher – egg powder, raisins and others.
The long-time producer of bread and pasta, Haq Hasan, told BTA that the demand is not high so far. In his company, a kilogram of kosunak is sold between BGN 10 and 12. For the customer, the traditional kosunak with raisins costs BGN 4.50 for 0.500 g, and the roll with marmalade is priced at BGN 5.00.
Kozunacheni rolls with rosehip marmalade and walnut filling, produced for the first year by the company, are slightly more expensive.
Haque Hassan advises customers to be careful when buying. The longer the expiration date, the lower the quality of the product, the manufacturer insists.
There is an increase of about 50 cents in the price of kozunaks in Haskovo. One of the largest companies in the city offers a cut of 400 grams for BGN 4.50. The company is one of the few not only in the region, but also in the country, which works with fresh eggs instead of egg powder or ready-made mixtures.
Last year, for the same weight, the price was BGN 4.00. The increase is mainly due to the increase in labor costs – the new amount of the minimum wage, commented the owner Daniela Tabakova.
There is an increase in the price of kozunaks in Shumen, and their value in shops and bakeries varies from nearly BGN 5 to over BGN 8, the BTA inspection found.
The price increase is from one to more than two BGN per year. Last year, the prices of kozunaks in Shumen varied from nearly 5 to over 6 BGN for those with filling.
Two local bakeries offer kozunaci at prices from about BGN 6 to 8, with the higher price for those with filling. The cheapest kosunacs can also be purchased this year from the hypermarkets of the major retail chains. One of them offers kosunacs with different types of filling, among which – with cocoa nibs, with raisins, with Turkish delight and pieces of fruit, at a price of BGN 4.69.
In one of the local bakeries in Shumen, a kozunak was sold for less than BGN 5 about a month ago, and now - for BGN 7.
In Yambol, kosunak producers do not foresee an increase, or it will be minimal. The price is expected to vary from BGN 6 to BGN 12 per half kilogram.
„We keep the price from last year – 6 BGN”, explained the 33-year-old Sorel, who is a hereditary baker. According to him, the profit is measured in pennies because of the increase in the price of milk and eggs.
„No difference in price so far – BGN 5 for 450 grams, but we don't know until Easter whether they won't increase the price of the products from the suppliers,” said Perihan Asanova, who owns a bakery.
Source: www.bta.bg